Light Unto My Path
by Ayato
Summary: [Squall and Rinoa]. Alternate Universe. Love paid too much of a price for Squall Leonhart. Neverthless, he would pay it, for it was the only way to win back Rinoa Heartilly.
1. A New Year, A New Beginning

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 1: A New Year, A New Beginning

**Disclaimer: **I do not own anything of Final Fantasy 8, and Squaresoft/Square Enix owns it all.

---

He never thought he could find love. Love was a transient, fleeting gazelle to him. It was a brief moment, never to return. Like King Dellinore of the Estharian Kingdom, Squall could never catch it. Surprisingly, he did. However, he would have to suffer for it. He would have to suffer more than he ever asked for. More than he could ever imagine.

---

The sun rose. And by rote, Squall Leonhart awoke. He was currently seventeen years of age, and he attended Balamb High. Squall was enigmatic to a sense because no one knew what was running in his mind. He performed his morning rituals within approximately ten minutes. Just like that, he was out the door. However, his father Laguna wanted to give Squall his best wishes for school. Today was the first day of a whole new school year.

"Squall, where do you think you are going? You forgot to eat breakfast."

There Laguna was. Squall looked back and saw his sorry excuse of a father. He despised conversations with his father. They stuck together like fire and ice.

"Excuse me father, but I have finished all my duties. I have _actually _eaten breakfast, but like always, you are a few steps behind me. I am properly dressed, and I really don't _need _you to waste any further time." Squall stated. His eyes narrowed into a glare that would shake mountains.

"Come on, son. Cut the formalities." Laguna exclaimed. Then he smiled the goofiest smile ever. "I just wanted to wish you well for your first day of school. Son, I know since your mother died…"

"Whatever." Squall quickly interrupted.

_Why would you mention mom at a time like this?  
_

Squall left the big oaf standing there in the doorway and headed to his car. Even though Laguna was quite the klutz, he was an amazing journalist. His father would travel around the world, and then write stories on his trips. Squall wasn't used to a father-figure since his dad was never home. However, his mother died tragically when he was ten. He loved his mother, and he gradually retreated into his own hollow where no one can bother him. These factors of neglect affected Squall's personality in many ways driving him into becoming quite introverted and cold. He drove off into the world to start his day.

He parked his car in the school parking lot. Balamb High was crowded as always, and Squall was now starting his senior year. As he locked up, he pulled out his schedule.

_Great, the classroom is on the other side of the school. Now I have to get there in five minutes. _

Not wasting time, Squall quickly headed to his destination. As he walked the halls, he could feel the stares of other students. He heard whispers too. Squall had quite the reputation at school because he never spoke, but he highly excelled in his extracurricular activities. His name was always on the announcements for fastest long distance runner, and his intelligence was unmatchable. However, Squall would give his perpetrators the coldest glare that would freeze hell over if they even slightly annoyed him. As he walked down the hall way, he recognized some jocks that were picking on a young freshman.

"Hey, LOOK!" said one of the jocks. "It's a FREAK!"

"Yeah, look at him. Look how _small_ he is." another replied.

"No, I bet his dick is…AAAHH!"

Squall had intervened in this verbal assault by pushing one of the jocks hard onto the wall.

"Leave him alone." Squall stated. "Picking on the small to bolster your own self-esteem…pathetic."

"Leonhart, stay out of this." said one of the jocks. "You don't want to get us started."

"You pushed me… oh you're going to die I swear to God." said the enraged jock.

_Great, now you're going to get killed Squall._

Just when things were starting to turn ugly, Principal Cid Kramer appeared. Quickly, the group dispersed leaving Squall and the freshman.

"Squall, it's the first day of school, so I'll let you off." declared Principal Cid. "But, don't cause any more trouble… you know how much you mean to this school."

"Sir, I apologize for my violent actions, and it won't happen again." Squall replied.

_They did everything. I just stopped it._

Then Squall left the scene, but the freshman was not through with Squall. The freshman ran up to him, and Squall quickly took notice.

"Excuse me, but I would like to thank you for helping me." murmured the boy. "My name is Zack."

"I'm Squall." Squall said flatly.

"Squall, I'm lost, can you help me?" said Zack.

_Goodness, this kid won't leave me alone._

"Look, there's a directory if you turn left up that way." Squall replied. As he was saying this, he pointed. "Now I got to go."

Squall left again to get to his class. He was tardy for the first day of school, but he did some good in the process. He remembered vividly when he was picked on like Zack was. He recalled how he wanted someone to stop it, but no one did. He gave Zack the only thing he ever wanted. Squall had some power now, and he exerted it to its advantage.

_I'm getting soft. I'm shouldn't mess with heroics… I've talked too much as well. Now I'm late._

Squall now jogged briskly. He entered the classroom with everyone looking at him.

_Just ignore them. Don't make eye contact. _

He sat in the last desk in the back. The teacher did not even mention anything. There he looked to see who his classmates were. He recognized most of them, but he saw an unfamiliar girl sitting in front of him. Her hair was majestically black from the back. He saw that she wore some kind of sky blue dress of some kind, yet it was contemporary. Squall did not understand fashion and such, but he was somewhat attracted to the figure like a moth to the flame.

_You idiot. First day of school, and you're moping over how pretty the back of this girl looks. _

She turned around, and then Squall was captivated. She was beautiful like an angel. Her eyes gave off a caring glint. Her face was perfect. There was no way to describe it. She had some highlights near the front of her hair, but they were actually natural. This all happened in a split second. Squall was wondering why she was looking at him, so he gave her a look of indifference. She then spoke.

"Excuse me." she said harmoniously. "I lost my pencil; do you have one I can borrow?"

Squall did not say a word, but he nodded. He searched his backpack for a pencil and gave it to her. Why was he helping her out?

"Thank you." she said gracefully, and then she smiled.

Squall was so enthralled that he just simply remained quiet. He didn't know what to do. Taking this as his way of saying, "You're welcome." she turned around and prepared herself for class.

Squall reacted with this experience by pulling out his notebook and his other pencil. As the teacher was explaining the class, a million thoughts raced in Squall's mind.

_What am I doing? She's pretty, but that doesn't mean anything. Isolate yourself from her. Never begin a conversation with her. Do not flirt like the other losers do. Stop thinking._

He did not know what to think, but he sorted things out and reached a conclusion.

_Admire from afar, but don't degrade her. Don't devour yourself in lust._

Squall remained silent throughout the rest of the period. As Squall was walking out the door, someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"I'm Rinoa." said a voice.

Squall turned around and saw the girl. She was giving the pencil back.

"Keep it." Squall said quickly.

The girl seemed to have wanted something more from him. He realized his mistake a moment later.

"I'm Squall."

She smiled, and his heart awakened. This was going to be an interesting year.

---

**Author's Notes:**

Review and critique is highly welcome. I want to make this story reach its best.


	2. The Jacket

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 2: The Jacket

**Disclaimer:** Characters affiliated with Final Fantasy 8 are not in my possession, but they are Square Enix's.

---

Squall silently enjoyed having classes with Rinoa. He had first period with her, and Instructor Trepe was now tolerable. He had the excruciatingly hard Calculus class with her. He also had Macro Economics with her in third period and had Human Anatomy in sixth period with her. During his classes, he studied Rinoa through the way she interacted with her fellow peers. He was in Macro Economics currently, and the bell was about to ring.

_She's modest. She does not seem to enjoy the continuous flirting of the other males. The males are trying to claim their territory. She is a piece of land to them. My, my… they seem to have some raging hormones. She can't be conquered though. She is like the mountains and the wilderness. They won't ever have her. So innocent too._

"Ms. Heartilly, would you like to go out sometime on Friday perhaps?" a voice practically begged.

"No," she said with a smile. "I'm not dating right now."

_Interesting, Seifer Almasy trying to get Rinoa… She's hard to get as well._

Rinoa realized that Squall was watching her, but Squall smoothly looked away as soon as his cover was about to be blown.

_That was close. She seems to be uncomfortable._

"Ms. Heartilly, I can show you a fun time." snickered Seifer. "You can enjoy staying at my house afterwards."

_Disgusting. He's practically flaunting himself over her. I wonder what she'll do. This is none of my business. Why am I even listening to this?_

"As long as my father comes with me." she said wryly. "Which means never."

_Yes!_

The bell rang. The class was dismissed, and Squall grabbed his backpack and left. He started to walk to his next class. He walked through the hallway and received stares that made him uncomfortable. He heard giggles, and he immediately did not want to walk near the girls that were checking him out. He sped up and hurried even faster to his next class.

_Freaky girls. Always feel like they are undressing me in their minds. I hate them. I despise them all. Wait… How am I any different? I think of Rinoa. Then again, I don't think of **those **kinds of thoughts. I want to respect her. I do not want to think of her in that way. She's too good for that._

As he entered the next class, he realized that he left his jacket back in third period.

_Great, that jacket was my favorite too… Better go get it._

"Instructor Martine, I left my jacket back in Macro." Squall stated politely. "May I go get it back quickly?"

_I know that he knows that I am trustworthy. Does that even make sense? I just hope he lets me get it. Despite the little time I have left. _

"Mr. Leonhart, I will write you a pass, but don't abuse it." Martine strictly said.

_Thank you!_

Squall nodded and left the room. He walked down the halls and enjoyed the silence.

_I am so glad that no one is here in these hallways. _

"Seifer, I'm already late, just let it go."

_Great there is someone in these…RINOA… What's she doing in the hallways right now? Is Seifer continuing to bother her? It's not your business. Just get your jacket._

"Kiss me, and I'll let you go." Seifer said dangerously.

"No." Rinoa stated desperately.

_No, I can't let that happen. She's in trouble. I have to stop it._

Squall followed the direction of the voices.

"Seifer, stop." Rinoa pleaded. "I don't like you, and honestly, I don't want this."

"No, I want you now!" said Seifer.

_Great. He has the nerve to do this at school! _

Squall turned to the left of the corridor, and there he saw Rinoa. She was being embraced by Seifer, and she was struggling. Seifer had an insane look on his face. Squall was horrified at this sight. He stood there glaring intently and then spoke.

"Almasy, what do you think you're doing?" Squall spat venomously. "Get your hands off her."

"What's this? When have you ever cared?" Seifer countered.

_He's right. When have I ever cared? But Rinoa was different. She mattered._

"Don't change the subject." Squall stated. "She's a friend of mine… now stop."

Squall was getting ready to perhaps turn this situation violent. His body gestures and facial features showed that he was indeed not afraid of what was to come. Squall glanced at Rinoa. She looked so afraid.

_I hope you never have to experience something like this ever again. _

Rinoa had an astonished look on her face. She barely knew Squall, but she was being saved by him. She was called a 'friend' according to Squall. She recalled that Squall didn't have friends. She saw how shy Squall was around her, but she also saw something deeper. She saw the way he never really had friends at school. He was always alone. He kept to his own council. Sometimes when Rinoa looked at Squall, she swore that he was in his own world. She observed that when she looked into his icy eyes, she would see him focusing on something distant almost.

Seifer did not process this information well either. He knew that it was strange for Squall to act this way. Seifer became slightly intimidated, so he backed off.

"Geez, I never knew you had it in you," mocked Seifer. "You report me, you're dead."

_Good he's gone. I'm glad nothing serious happened._

Seifer ran off leaving Rinoa there alone with Squall. They stared at each other for a second until Rinoa broke the silence.

"Thank you for that, Squall." Rinoa said gratefully. "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't come."

_Great going. You called her a 'friend'. She's probably freaked. Respond normally._

"Yeah, well..uh.. I was getting my jacket that I left in third period. But then, I heard some voices, so I decided to check it out." Squall nervously said.

"So you wanted to eavesdrop?" Rinoa asked.

"No, I heard your voice," Squall said. "And Seifer isn't sane, so I put two and two together."

"I see, well thank you." Rinoa giggled. "Friends?"

Rinoa extended her hand into a form of a handshake. Never had Squall done something like this before.

_I'm being offered her friendship. Stop shaking in your boots and start shaking her hand. Hey a pun…_

Squall returned the handshake firmly but not too firm.

"Friends." Squall said.

_I still don't have my jacket either… How will I explain this?_

**---**

Squall had his first cross country practice. He was actually the best in the team. Zell Dincht was second fastest on the team, and he was in good shape. However, Squall miraculously beat him last year.

_Goodness, Zell just won't shut up. _

Zell was babbling insignificant things about how he was going to beat Squall this time, and how he was in better shape than him. Squall just ignored him and kept his silence.

Irvine Kinneas, another runner, laughed as Zell was joking.

_These guys mean no harm… I just don't like all this small talk. Can't they just stop!_

Some new members of the cross country team appeared. Squall didn't recognize them.

_Okay, they look like nothing good._

Then Zack came. He was wearing the shorts, the shoes, and even the under-armor.

_Okay, I guess he runs too… He's got the attire and everything… His name was Zack… I think. He looks like someone I know._

"Okay, this is the start of a whole new season," said Coach Nida. "And I want it to be the best. You guys have what it takes to get to state, but you have to work hard every step of the way. Okay, let's do a warm-up."

Everyone started to do the warm-up course which was approximately two miles. They ran around the school. They would trot over rolling hills and go explore through forests. Squall noticed the trees and their stability.

_I wish one day that I can be like that big tree. What am I thinking? I want to be like a…_

"…tree?" Squall suddenly said.

Luckily, no one noticed that Squall said something to himself. Zell kept on flaunting on how he was in front of everyone else. He was perspiring profusely however. Squall made a small grin.

_It's a warm-up bud. You're not supposed to run fast. You're just going to waste your energy… then again… you never run out of energy anyways…_

Zack was doing quite well, and he had the runner's build.

_He's got the right height. Form isn't too bad. Stride is just right. He's doing pretty well. Just some sprucing here and there. _

As the warm-up ended, many of the newcomers were tired. They had their heads directed towards the ground as if they were trying to catch their breath. Zack seemed to know what he was doing, and he did not exert a lot of energy, but fulfilled the warm-up's purpose… to get warmed up!

_Idiots wasted all their energy on the **WARM-UP**… _

"Now time for the workout," Coach Nida said. "Varsity, run quarters. JV, jog 3 more miles. Squall, run each quarter in about 75 seconds. Zell, 80 seconds. Irvine and Zidane, 85 seconds. Wakka, 90 seconds. You guys are running twelve of these."

There was a groan.

_Easy, I just need to keep that pace, and I'm straight._

JV ran their 3 miles around, but they wouldn't be suffering as much as the varsity team. While they were running their quarters, they had about 70 seconds of rest between each quarter. Squall was doing exceedingly well. The others could not meet their time prerequisites. As practice was over, everyone was exhausted. They stretched various muscles. During this stretching period, everyone sighed with relief. They were glad it was over. Some drove back home; while, some had their parents pick them. Squall noticed that Zack was flustered. He could not get a ride.

_Should I help him? It's his business… not mine. Well, helping never hurt. _

"Need a ride?" Squall said abruptly.

_What is it that I find in this kid to help him?_

"Maybe…ermm… yes." Zack replied

Squall gave Zack a ride. As he was driving, they remained silent for the whole time. The only time Zack spoke was when he was giving directions.

_He doesn't live too far away from me. That's good at least; I won't waste gas. _

He pulled up on the driveway. Zack's house was very nice and ornate. The brickwork was astounding, and the grass was evenly mowed.

_The house seems new, and it looks like he just moved in probably during the summer. Zack's parents must be rich. _

"Want to come in?" Zack asked.

"No." Squall answered almost rudely.

Zack waved and pulled out his keys. He opened his front door and went in. Squall backed out of the driveway and headed home. His house was only a street away.

_I need to stop getting all mushy. I actually gave someone a ride! When have I ever cared?_

There was just something about Zack he could not get over.

---

**Author's Notes: **

I am trying to show detail somewhat, but it's a bit hard. Suggestions and critique still welcome.


	3. Two Lives

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 3: Two Lives

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except the plot. Squaresoft owns Final Fantasy 8 and its characters.

---

The sun was beginning to emerge from slumber. Fluffy clouds formed up in the sky. It was a beautiful morning. Birds were happily chirping in their havens. A house of grandeur stood in the brink of morning. There Rinoa was peacefully sleeping.

_Squall? What are you doing here? Thank you for saving me again! I don't know how to thank you. Please, see me again someday. I want to get to know…_

"**BEEP BEEP!"**

"Ugh, why's the alarm on?" Rinoa said to herself. "It's Saturday."

Rinoa turned it off and gave out a groan. She now decided she wanted to go back to sleep.

"**WOOF!" **

"Angelo?" Rinoa murmured. "Fine I'm awake!"

She dragged herself into the bathroom and brushed her teeth. She then washed up. Since it was Saturday, she had loads of free time. She pulled out her journal and decided to write about how her life in Balamb was going.

_Dear Journal,_

_It's been two months since I have moved into Balamb. I really don't miss Deling City because I didn't really get along with the people there. I've met some interesting people here in Balamb. _

_Selphie is very intriguing. She must contain all the optimism, joy, and laughter in the whole entire world. She has this small figure. She's even shorter than me! I swear her eyes are glowing with ecstasy every time I see her. Her aura is just simply amazing. _

_However, I have encountered a big meanie at Balamb High. His name is Seifer, and he was desperately asking me out. He even hugged me! He tried to kiss me, but then Squall appeared._

_What can I say about Squall? Squall is simply Squall. He has the average height. Brown hair that parts in the middle and it's somewhat long. Bangs cover his face. His eyes are simply astonishing. They have this stormy blue gleam on them. Squall has this scar on his forehead though. I wonder how he got it…? Anyways, I think Squall is a loner. He doesn't have friends, or I haven't seen his friends. He reacts coldly to most of his fellow classmates, but mostly just ignores them. The glare he gives can break glass. I sort of feel sorry for him. _

_Overall, life in Balamb is nice. I can get used to living here. The air is great, and it's a bit better than living in pollution. _

_Done._

She dated her excerpt and closed her journal. She got on her computer and signed onto her instant messenger.

_Selphie is on. Let's see how she's doing._

Angelwings: Sup Selphie

Booyaka G: HEY! How r u?

Angelwings: Well n/m here. u?

Booyaka G: im bored out of my mind

Angelwings: let's see…

Angelwings: do you have a bf?

Booyaka G: No… but I like Irvine Kinneas… do you know him?

Angelwings: hes in one of my classes… he's totally a womanizer. watch out!

Booyaka G: don't tell anyone, now who do YOU like?

_Squall's cute, but I barely know him. _

Angelwings: i barely know anybody… it's only been like a week…

Booyaka G: icic

Booyaka G: i gtg

Angelwings: bye…

Rinoa signed off as well, and she jumped back onto her bed with her blankets covering her. She became lost in thought.

_I know that it's not good to date around now, but sometimes it's just more than infatuation. I've only seen Squall a couple of times, but I can sense hurt in his life. I want to help him somehow. I must persist!_

"Rinoa, are you just sitting in your bed doing absolutely nothing?"

It was her brother. He was around fourteen years of age.

"Zack… hey." Rinoa replied.

Ever since their mother Julia died, Rinoa and Zack have gotten closer together. They have conversations a lot and encourage each other.

"Zack, how did your week of school go?" asked Rinoa. "Did you make any new friends?"

"Sort of… I met a kid named Sora… he's cool I guess." replied Zack. "Also I met this guy named Squall…"

_SQUALL!_

"…and he was very nice to me. These jocks started bullying me, but then Squall came out of nowhere, and he made them scared…"

_Yep, that's Squall._

"…oh yeah, and he runs too. He's the best." Zack finished.

"That's nice." Rinoa replied.

Noticing that Rinoa seemed to be in one of those rare days of thinking quietly, Zack quietly walked off, leaving Rinoa to her thoughts.

_He knows Squall. Squall saved him too. Squall seems to have the hero in him… Even though he has the rough exterior. I need to get know him better. What will I say to him when I see him? I know! I'll sit by him in lunch. He's always alone, and he doesn't even know I'm in his lunch period! …I think…_

Thinking about Squall had made Rinoa hungry. Rinoa rushed down the stairs to see her father. She loved her father. When her mother died, she was always angry at her father for being so mean, but as she grew, she forgave her dad. She used to just call him 'Caraway'. Now she just calls him 'Dad'. Maturity does wonders.

"Dad, I told you that I would cook." Rinoa mentioned.

"Too bad!" exclaimed her dad joyfully. "Wait… you cook?"

_Funny funny…_

**---**

Squall was sitting in his bed. He was in his 'thinking' mode. He had trouble sorting all his thoughts out. His room contained his bed, his computer, tv, and a dresser. On his dresser was a picture of his departed mother looking very radiant. Another picture contained a family picture with his older sister Ellone who was in college.

_Sis, I wish you were here. I want to tell you about everything in my life. You're the only one I can trust. I've met this girl named Rinoa. She reminds me so much of you. She has a caring tone in her voice. Her figure is petite, yet she reminds me of an angel almost. It's not that I like her, but I feel drawn to her. Something about her makes me feel… different. She's not like some crush or anything, but it's more. She makes me feel…_

…_words can't even explain this feeling. _

Squall glanced over at the picture of his mother.

_Mom, if you were still here… Maybe I would be happier. After the car accident, I was scared. I kept shaking you, but you wouldn't wake up. I had this scar on my head since the glass cut me, but I was still able to move around. Mom, seeing you that pale scared me. I was only eight. The sight of your blood frightened me. I wish I could see you again. _

"Squall, pizza's here." Laguna chimed.

_How can he maintain such optimism when you're dead… mother? Did he not love you enough or something?_

"I'm coming." yelled Squall.

_---  
_

**Author's Notes: **

Thank you Snug for pointing out the mother confusion. Continue to review everyone.


	4. Care

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 4: Care

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy 8 or any of its characters. Squaresoft owns them.

--- 

Squall hated Mondays. It was the start of a whole new week. He was sitting in first period currently pondering ways to converse with Rinoa. Class had not started yet, and he was busy in his thoughts like always.

_Should I talk to her? Okay, even if I did… …what would I say? There is nothing to even talk about…Why even think of her? I barely know her. No use in thinking of someone you barely know. Get over it… There's nothing special about her._

No matter what Squall thought, he realized he tried to deceive himself.

_But, she is important. Her warm smile just lightens me up. The way her soft voice shines… …it makes me feel as if everything were going to be alright… wait… What am I doing? Stop thinking about her! She's nothing._

War continued to rage in Squall's mind. Then there was silence. Why? Class had started.

"Class, we are starting on a new chapter today." Instructor Trepe stated. "Instead of writing notes like usual, we will pick partners and together will you study the new chapter. Write your own notes together and teach each other. If you need any help, ask me."

Squall realized that everyone picked their partners, but Rinoa was all alone. Then he realized he was all alone.

_Great, now I have to be partners with her. I'll probably studder and stammer when I am speaking. Oh, well here it goes._

"Hey, Rinoa…"

_Saying her name was even heavenly…_

Rinoa's ears perked up when she heard Squall's voice. She diverted her attention to the shy boy. She smiled slightly since she detected some timidity in his voice.

"…Well… I don't have a partner… and… since you don't have a partner… maybe we can… hook up?... I mean be partners? Squall said nervously.

_You… Are… An… IDIOT… Good job that sounded great!_

"Squall, that sounds like a great idea." Rinoa said. "Sure!"

_Whew… that went well. _

"Let's first read the chapter and then compare what we understand from it." Squall confidently suggested.

They took out their books and opened it up to the new chapter. Calculus was very tough, but Squall understood it.

_Deriving equations using the Chain Rule, sounds like a party.  
_

Squall glanced over at Rinoa who was now sitting right next to him. She was at the desk next to him. Since everyone was dispersed around the classroom, desks were now vacant. Also no one really wanted to sit by Squall. Rinoa looked quite flustered. She didn't seem to fully grasp it all.

_It's my job to help her. Just explain it in simplistic terms. _

"...Need help?" Squall asked.

"It's just… I don't understand this new principle." Rinoa confessed.

"Here," Squall said. "This is what you do."

Squall showed Rinoa step by step how to do everything. He explained the purpose of deriving the outside part of the function and then continuing to derive the inside, multplying each coherently into the slope of the tangent line, and when he finished. Explaining took forever since Squall's mastery of words consisted of the same phrases he reused daily.

"Thanks Squall, I actually understand this." Rinoa said while twirling her hair with one finger. She smiled, and for a second, Squall forgot everything about Math. "Maybe you can help me again sometime."

_If I continue to do this, you'll eventually get closer to me. Do I really want that to happen?_

"Whatever," mentioned Squall.

Realizing that this was the most opportune moment to talk, Squall mustered all his courage to ask his question.

"Rinoa, you have 3rd lunch… right?" squeaked Squall timidly.

"Yeah, you're in my lunch." Rinoa said curtly.

_She knows…_

"Well… if you need anymore help in anything really… you can maybe see me at lunch… and uh… I can help you." Squall said.

_That was practically the longest sentence I ever said. The pressure almost stopped me from finishing. _

"Of course, I'll come to you if I need anything." Rinoa said.

_Did she say that sweetly or was it just me?_

The bell rang. The students proceeded to their next classes.

"Squall, I'll see you later." Rinoa said.

_Did she say that with a twinge of disappointment or was it just me?_

"Bye, Rinoa." Squall said.

They both left for their next classes.

**---**

Squall sat alone on his table. He usually brought lunch since the school lunches weren't exactly healthy. He devoured his sandwich, his sun-chips, apple, banana, and his granola bar in almost a minute.

_Better hurry up and eat. I'm in a vulnerable social situation where people are bound to bother me.  
_

Squall gulped down on his water. As he was drinking it, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around, and it was the group of jocks that picked on Zack. Death was in their eyes.

_Ignore them. Just ignore them. Don't establish eye contact. Don't even acknowledge their existence. They don't exist.  
_

"Hey, Leonhart… you're sitting all alone… hahaha…" said one of the jocks.

_The wind blows, but I stand steadily._

They pointed and laughed at Squall. The idea was quite entertaining really. Squall must have been pretty important to have time wasted on him. They continued to laugh and point at him.

"You think you're all big and bad because you run real fast." said one of the jocks with a sneer. "But you would just run far away if you ever got in a fight."

_Don't listen to them. Just don't listen to them.  
_

"Run… Run away Squallie.."

_They're using nicknames on you, Squall Leonhart. Wait, I shouldn't have been listening in the first place. Sooner or later, they'll realize it's not worth it._

They didn't leave, but continued their onslaught. Squall's resolve was wearing out, and no longer could his defense hold.

"By the way, where did you get that scar." said one of them.

"Oh yeah, you were in a car accident, and your mom died… isn't that right!" said a jock with evil.

_I want to kill them all. I want them to go away. Mother, why must I suffer this way. No, I can't think of killing them. That's wrong. No matter what… you are better than these losers. They pick on the small._

"Stop it!**"**

_What?_

Amazingly enough, Squall did not think someone would come to his rescue. Rinoa stood there with her hands on her hips. Her eyes carried a dangerous glint in them.

"Back off, or I'll report this to the principal." threatened Rinoa. "You'll get suspended, and you won't play the next football game against Galbadia... or you won't play any games for the rest of the season, depending on how they take my witness account."

Everyone knew about the rivalry between Galbadia and Balamb. The little savages backed off and left Rinoa and Squall. Squall stared into Rinoa's gentle eyes.

"I didn't need your help." he mumbled.

"You're welcome." Rinoa answered with a smile.

Rinoa and Squall sat in the same table. Squall was becoming grateful for her presence. She comforted him even though he didn't want to think that.

_Why are you here? I already helped you with Calculus today. I don't know how to react in this situation. Your presence is worse than theirs.  
_

Squall sat there in his thoughts as Rinoa thought of something to talk about.

"Squall, maybe you should open up more." Rinoa finally said.

Squall's ears perked up at Rinoa speaking to him.

_Me? Open up? But why? _

"Why?" Squall answered flatly.

"Because, someone can be there for you." Rinoa said. "They can help you considerably. You will have a shoulder to lean on. It does wonders."

"No one cares for me." Squall said, replying with whatever came to mind.

_What am I saying? Am I opening up to her? Is this a trap or something? Why did I respond to her like this?  
_

"_I_… care for you, Squall." Rinoa said with kindness.

_She cares for me. Someone cares for you Squall. What are you going to do? Someone cares for you.  
_

"Err... whatever." Squall answered while blushing slightly. He did not give eye contact.

Rinoa smiled as she picked up her stuff. "I'll see you whenever, Squall." She left when she realized that he wouldn't say a single word after her assertion.

_She **cares** for me. What is this feeling? It's so familiar, but I can't identify it. Whatever… like I really care._

The bell rang. Third lunch was over. Squall rushed to class with a mixed feelings because he really _did _care.

**---**

Rinoa fell onto her bed. She was home alone now. She decided to write in her journal. She took out her favorite ballpoint pen and then took out her journal. She gathered her thoughts together and started writing.

_Dear Journal,_

_Here I am again writing about Squall. These jocks came over to Squall's table and started making fun of him. They were actually pretty loud, so I basically heard the whole thing. It's ironic because I swore they were jealous of him. Well, I saw Squall and when I looked at his eyes, they looked very cold. I could sense the anger within him. He was practically ignoring the assault that was being placed on him. It's like they weren't worth it. In fact, they really **weren't** worth it. However, I couldn't take all the verbal abuse myself, so I stopped it. I threatened them by reporting their misbehavior while in fact… I didn't even know if you can get in trouble for mere uh…bullying? It's just… Squall seems so alone and when it was over, he sat there lost in his thoughts again. One of these days, he might blow up, and someone needs to be there for him. I told him that I cared for him and that I could be that person. He seemed even shyer after that. The jocks were even talking about his mother, and how she died and such! Unbelievable. Well, I hope I can help Squall and open him up. It's not that I think he's a charity case or something, but I want him to enjoy something that I think he missed out on. I want him to be happy._

"There… done…" Rinoa commented to herself.

Angelo appeared from out of the bottom of her bed and started licking her leg.

"Oooohhh, that tickles!" Rinoa giggled.

She grabbed her dog and started petting it. She then scratched Angelo's belly. Rinoa continued to enjoy bonding with her dog. As she was doing this, she was also pondering in her head.

_I wonder if I can actually make Squall happy one day… Look at Angelo, it's easy… All I have to do is pet her, and she's happy. Squall will be much harder. _

Rinoa fell on her bed and continued her thoughts.

_I wonder what he looks like when he's actually truly smiling. That would be nice!_

---

**Author's Notes: **

**FaithfullyTru,** for that great encouragement.

**Heartillyangel,** I will try to add some of the "magic" touch.

** Rin Seren,** thank you for your comment about Squall.

** Shadowrules,** thanks for first review.

** Leanne Ashley,** thanks for your support, I look forward to continue reading "Savior".


	5. Absence And Presence

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 5: Absence And Presence

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy 8 or anything affliliated with it. Squaresoft does.

---

_Squall Leonhart was running. He was running from something that was chasing him. Despite how fast he could run, the 'thing' was catching up. He could hear it breathing and snarling. He could smell its grotesque scent. He ran until he felt it grab his shoulder._

Squall violently awoke. His body continued to shake from the horrible nightmare he experienced. Being alone had its toil on his body and mind.

_Just a nightmare… It felt so… evil almost. I wish things like this didn't happen to me.  
I wonder what time it is._

"3:00," he muttered. "In the morning…"

_Great, now I have to get back to sleep after this horrible mess._

Squall continued to attempt to sleep, but he couldn't shake off the eerie feeling of that dream. It continued to haunt him until he finally just fell asleep from sheer exhaustion.

**---**

Squall awoke to his alarm clock blaring annoyingly. He sat up immediately from his bed and then turned off the alarm.

_Time to start a whole new day… In some ways, I don't want to go. However, I'll get to see Rinoa again. After that whole ordeal yesterday… I wonder what will happen now… I just want to be alone… The people that care for me end up like mom. _

Squall shuddered at the thought of his mother.

_But, I won't let anything wrong happen to her. Plus, nothing's going to happen to her. What am I thinking…? Of course nothing's going to happen._

Squall realized he wasted precious time thinking when he could have started to get ready for school. He quickly brushed his teeth and did all his morning routines. Then he quickly darted downstairs, grabbed a pop-tart, and headed out the door with his car keys and his backpack. However, he was interrupted by someone.

"Squall, before you leave for school… wait… are you forgetting anything?" Laguna chimed innocently.

Squall deliberately ignored his father and continued to walk to his car.

"Son, I wish we could talk more." Laguna said somberly.

_And I wish you could talk less._

Squall backed out of the driveway and left his house. He left his father in the driveway. He really did not want to deal with his father now.

**---**

Calculus was starting to reach the unbearable limit to where Squall approached insanity. He headed to his seat, but was immediately disappointed in the absence of Rinoa. The room was devoid of everything interesting now.

_Rinoa is not here today… How ironic, she tells me that she'll be there for me, but then she's absent…? No matter, it's nothing to be worked up over. She's probably got the flu or something… in the fall… Yeah right, the flu in the fall! She has her reasons. _

He continued to look down, but then reverted to his original self, his cold, stoic self. Then class started, and he took out his notebook and got ready for class.

**---**

Rinoa woke up from her bed. She looked around in her room, and she could see everything in it. There was daylight. She then realized that it was near the afternoon when she looked at her clock.

_Oh NO! It's 11:00! I overslept. I missed the bus. Dad's going to kill me. Yeah, I'm dead… _

Rinoa overslept due to thinking of Squall too much during the night before. Zack had to go to school early to study for his next Literature test. Mr. Caraway dropped him off early in the morning and then went to work. She then recollected her thoughts.

_Great, I missed school because I overslept._ _How am I going to explain this? I am going to have to do make-up work tomorrow… Oh well… might as well enjoy it._

Rinoa dashed downstairs to the kitchen. She searched her refrigerator for something to immediately eat.

_Come on! Where are you sandwich meat? Ah there!_

She found her ham then found the cheddar cheese. She grabbed the sandwich bread and then proceeded to make her lunch. Then she grabbed the chips and dip. She was going to enjoy this day!

**---**

_They continue to look at me… My, how much they irritate me. _

Squall was walking in the hallways. He was proceeding to his last period cautiously due to all the wandering eyes and loud giggles. Then someone bumped into him. This short girl dropped all her books. She didn't seem mad about it though; she just acted as if it was nothing to mope over. She quickly picked her books up and then jumped in front of Squall who was still watching all this happen.

_Okay… that was weird… but why isn't this girl letting me leave… She's blocking my path._

The girl beamed with a huge grin and started to talk to Squall.

"The name's Selphie." she practically shrieked energetically.

"Uh… Squall..." Squall answered.

They continued to stare at each other. Squall was giving her the 'get out of my way' look while she was giving Squall the 'why don't we laugh about this' look. Finally, Squall had to let her know.

"You're in my way." Squall stated coldly.

"Oh… sorry..." Selphie said with immediate sorrow.

_She looks so weird since she's sad now. I could have sworn she was overdosed on something…_

"Okay, sorry about the books… bye." Squall muttered almost quietly.

Squall left the scene in a hurry. He did not want people to mistake his encounter with Selphie for anything else than an accident.

_She was weird. Freakishly… weird… too much joy glowing out of her… it's still freaking me out._

Squall entered his classroom and sat at his desk. He started to attend his duties again.

**---**

Zack was looking everywhere for his dad. However, he wasn't in the parking lot or in the other parking lot. Squall was talking with the coach about complications about the next meet. He wouldn't run in the meet next Saturday due to conflicting issues. When Squall finished, he went to the parking lot and saw Zack.

_Does he look a bit disappointed? It doesn't matter… he can take care of himself. _

However, Squall could not get over the fact that Zack seemed a bit _too_ sad.

_Okay, just this one time…_

"What's wrong?" Squall asked.

Zack realized that Squall was talking to him.

"Oh, my dad isn't coming…" Zack replied. "I think he's coming home late today…"

Squall started to look Zack in the eyes.

"I can always walk…" Zack commented.

"Whatever, you're coming with me." Squall finally almost commanded.

"YES! Thank you! You don't know how much this means…!" Zack exclaimed.

"O…kay…" Squall answered with satire.

Zack entered Squall's car, and they left the school parking lot. Zack wanted to strike conversation, but Squall did not like talking. This did not stop Zack.

"Hey Squall… my sister is at home I think…" Zack said. "I think you guys are the same age… maybe you should meet her."

"Whatever." Squall responded emotionlessly.

The road curved to the right. Before Squall entered Zack's neighborhood, he noticed a flower field. With just a glance, he saw it all.

_That's a pretty flower field. Perhaps I should go there someday when I want to be alone. The rolling hills would be a great place to sit and think. Laguna can't stop me anyways. It's only about two miles away from home. _

He pulled up to Zack's neighborhood and then continued to drive to his house. As he pulled up to his house, he realized he had to go use the restroom.

_Can I hold it in? No I can't! Uhhh… I have to go pee now? Whatever, I'll just ask if I can go in._

Squall decided to ask Zack.

"Zack, would it be okay if I come in and use your restroom?" Squall asked. "It shouldn't take long."

"Sure, don't worry about it." Zack replied.

Squall parked the car in Zack's driveway. Squall and Zack got out of the car. Zack went to his front door and pulled out his keys. Squall followed. When the door opened, they stepped in. Squall did not know of the surprise that awaited him.

---

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks for all the great reviews... Please continue to do so.


	6. The Promise

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 6: The Promise

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy or its characters. I only own this plot. Squaresoft owns Final Fantasy.

---

Squall entered Zack's house. He observed his surroundings intently out of rote. He noticed the elegance of the interior designing. The living room had a warm, cozy feel to it. There was a regal fireplace with a decent television. There was a couch and an armchair in the living room facing the television. An ornate table was rooted between the television and the couches. The kitchen seemed plain enough. It had everything standard, from a stove to a dishwasher. Squall took all this information in while he was trying to find the bathroom.

"Squall, the bathroom is that way." Zack directed while pointing to the left of the corridor.

Squall briskly walked to the direction that Zack pointed to. Zack left to his room. Squall then went inside the bathroom and carried out his business. When he was done, he came out into the living room and encountered his surprise.

"Rinoa…?" Squall said with alarm. "What are you doing here?"

"Squall, _this _is my house," Rinoa answered with obviousness. "Now what are _you _doing here?"

_Oh… so Rinoa is Zack's older sister. No wonder I sensed something special about him. _

"I had to use the restroom," Squall replied. "Zack let me in… he didn't have a ride for after practice, so I gave him one."

"Aw… that's so sweet," Rinoa somewhat joked. "When have you ever started giving rides to people?"

"Whatever." Squall responded.

"I was just joking!" Rinoa said. "I'm glad you helped my little brother out."

"Okay, I have to go." Squall finally said.

Squall was leaving, but then Rinoa interposed. She reached out to him and grabbed his shoulder gently. Squall was not used to such physical affection. He immediately turned around and looked at Rinoa. He noticed how beautiful she looked. Her face was blossoming with unknown passion. Her dazzling eyes were bearing into Squall's turbulent eyes. Her figure seemed so petit and yet hidden strength was inside her. She seemed like the tree Squall had in mind when he observed its wondrous vigor when he was running.

_What's going on…? And why is she touching me? She's so stunning. Stop thinking these thoughts. Leave. Abort mission.  
_

"Please… stay…" Rinoa said pleadingly. "I should at least repay you… dinner perhaps?"

Her eyes remained beauteous with unrelenting fervor.

…_Get out of there… whatever…_

"Uh… okay." Squall answered bashfully.

Rinoa then smiled warmly, and that gave Squall something to remember for the rest of his life. He would always want her to smile like that. He couldn't bear to see her frown, ever.

"Alright, I will make dinner in about… 30 minutes," Rinoa declared excitedly. "Just stay there and do… errmm… something."

"Do you need help?" Squall asked.

"Nah," Rinoa answered. "It's only spaghetti."

Squall sat down on the armchair. He decided to ponder on things as Rinoa continued to cook.

_She's different… I think she really does care for me. The way she looked at me was very… indescribable. What will I say to her during dinner…? She makes me so nervous… But I really like seeing her… Who would have known that Zack was Rinoa's younger brother…? Okay… whatever… I need to…_

"…Squall, I don't know if you noticed," Rinoa said. "But I actually missed the bus today."

_That explains why she wasn't at school. _

"Squall… are you listening?" Rinoa asked with speculation.

"Oh… yeah," Squall suddenly responded. "I… uh… was wondering why I didn't see you at school."

"Right…" Rinoa answered playfully.

Squall could smell the spaghetti that Rinoa was cooking. It smelled exquisite. He could identify the various herbs that Rinoa had used, and the marina filled Squall's nose with satisfaction.

_I'm hungry now… I can't wait to eat._

"Zack, dinner's ready." Rinoa said.

Rinoa had three plates with the illustrious spaghetti. Zack darted down the stairs and ran into the kitchen. He grabbed one of the plates, a handy fork, and a water bottle and ran back upstairs. He did not notice that Squall did not leave his house yet.

"What was that about?" Squall asked.

"Oh, he usually has lots of homework," Rinoa answered. "So he never eats at the kitchen table."

"I see…" Squall responded.

They decided to eat. Squall was gorging into Rinoa's delicacy, but then looked over at Rinoa. She did not have much spaghetti on her plate. She was eating as well. They ate in silence until they both finished. Squall was now satiated beyond relief. He realized that Rinoa was just finishing hers.

_That was great… Man am I full… She cooks great…_

"Thanks for the dinner." Squall said with politeness.

"You're welcome." Rinoa answered.

They continued to look at each other until Rinoa stood up suddenly.

"Squall, I want to show up something," Rinoa said. "Follow me."

Rinoa did not give a chance for Squall to respond. She walked out the front door into the outdoors. Squall realized that he had to follow. He walked out with her. While he passed his car, he grabbed his jacket because it was about to turn dark and cold outside. Rinoa continued to walk with a brisk pace. Squall kept right behind her and let her lead the way. Rinoa did not turn around to see if Squall was following, but she automatically assumed that he was.

_What is she doing? I wonder where she is taking me… It's getting dark…_

Rinoa suddenly stopped in front of the flower field that Squall saw earlier. There weren't any lights around, so it was dark, but the stars were visible. It was magnificent. The formation of the stars was wonderful. Rinoa turned around. She was pleased to see that Squall followed.

"I wanted to show you the stars today," Rinoa said with liveliness. "Watching it here on the flower field is something no one will ever forget."

Squall was in his mind racing with thoughts. Here he was, alone with Rinoa. He never thought it would come down to this. He was led here by her, and now, they were going stargazing. They continued to walk until they reached a hill. There they sat looking at the stars.

_Wow, it's beautiful out here… She's beautiful too…_

A sudden breeze came, and Rinoa shuddered involuntarily. Rinoa had no chance to grab anything warm to wear. Noticing that Rinoa was cold, Squall decided to help her.

_It's not because she's cold, it's because I'm hot, and I don't want to wear the jacket anymore. _

_Yeah, right. You care for her and that's why you want to give it to her._

"Here," Squall said while giving his jacket to her. "Take it."

"It's okay," Rinoa answered. "I'm fine."

_She's fine, so leave her alone. _

_No, she really wants it._

"Just take it." Squall insisted.

She took it and put it on. She looked immediately relieved. Squall somewhat liked how Rinoa looked with his jacket on.

_I'm glad she's warmer…_

They continued to look out into the sky. A shooting star seared down from the heavens. It flared across the sky, and both Rinoa and Squall witnessed it.

"Did you see that?" Rinoa asked with a hint of thrill. "Did you see the shooting star?"

"Yeah…" Squall answered somewhat with excitement.

_I enjoy spending time with her… This is heavenly almost… Just doing the simple things like this…it makes it so… special…_

"Umm…Squall…?" Rinoa said with some nervousness. "I enjoyed… spending time here with you."

"Same." Squall responded with slight abruptness.

"We should make a promise." Rinoa suggested.

_What is she talking about? _

"…What?" Squall choked.

"…You know… like one day we should meet here…again…" Rinoa trailed.

"Okay," Squall said. "I'll be here… I'll be waiting here for you… If you come here, you will find me… I promise."

"Thanks… Squall..." Rinoa answered with thoughtfulness.

Rinoa and Squall continued to gaze at the stars. They were sitting there staring off into the distance of the stars. Nothing could ruin this night.

---

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks for all the reviews... All of it is encouraging and extremely helpful!


	7. Silent Cry

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 7: Silent Cry

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VIII. Squaresoft owns the Final Fantasy series.

---

It was Saturday, and the sun was just beginning to rise. Its magnificent colors began to emerge out of the dormant sky. The sun was like a hand reaching out. Its grandeur was visible everywhere, imposing its heat and color around the hungry earth. Squall awoke and got up from his bed. He glanced out the window and spotted the radiant sun. This was the start of a beautiful new day. However to Squall, it was the start of the worst day of his life. 

_That's right… I'm not running at the meet today… _

He took notice of his mother's picture on his dresser. He took the picture and brought it over to his bed. There he silently wept for his mother.

_Today is the day… you died…mom… Life is alright… I am still trying to hold on… but I miss you… Dad is miraculously still somewhat goofy, but I guess that's his way of coping… I miss you… Why did this happen… _

Squall continued to gaze at the picture of his mom. He then had an idea.

_I'm going to get some fresh air…I shouldn't mope around like this too much…_

Squall put on his normal attire. He had his plain white t-shirt and his comfortable black pants. He wore his favorite red belt as well since his pants were perhaps a little _too _loose. He decided to take a walk, and perhaps maybe even a little jog. Squall quietly stepped downstairs, so that he wouldn't wake up his dad. He grabbed a banana desperately almost and quickly ate it. Though this did not fully satisfy his hunger, he would cope for now. He then headed out the door. He briskly jogged out of his neighborhood as he continued to think.

_The weather is great today… I wonder…should I go to the flower field? _

Just then, recent memories flooded into Squall's mind. He was recalling that night.

_The stars were so beautiful… but she was even more beautiful… She was sleeping there… with a soft smile on her face. It was getting late and cold… I liked the way she looked in my jacket… I can't stop thinking these thoughts of her… _

"_Ugh…" Rinoa muttered in her sleep. _

"_Rinoa?" Squall mumbled quietly. "Wake up."_

_She wasn't responding… I didn't want to carry her… Don't kid yourself Squall… Of course you wanted to carry her. _

Squall recalled that night well. He had ended up carrying her back home, and he enjoyed every single second of it. He remembered her aroma, a fragrance he will never forget. She seemed so beautiful that he wanted to just hold on to her forever. She was so light, so celestial. He made sure that he did not accidentally _violate _her or wake her.

_Mother, I found someone… her name is Rinoa… I'm pretty sure you know all about her… since you're watching everything from heaven… I think she cares for me… I care for her as well…_

Squall, so lost in his thoughts, realized he was at the flower field. He also realized that he had jogged two miles pretty quickly. Now, the sky was blue, and the sun was wide awake. Fluffy clouds were present in the sky. Various flowers filled the ground. Squall continued to casually walk until he reached the hill- the hill where he went stargazing with Rinoa. He sat down and continued to enjoy his thoughts and the wonderful weather.

_The flowers… they continue to live on… autumn is coming soon and then winter… then they will die off… but in the spring they rise again… In the same way… when I have my rough times… will I arise like these flowers? They remind me so much of Rinoa. How no matter what happens… she's always smiling warmly… like as if everything were going to be alright._

Squall remembered the day before at school. Rinoa actually started sitting with him. He wasn't alone anymore. He looked back and recalled that people were staring at Rinoa and him. They were glancing every now and then. Perhaps, they mistook Rinoa as his girlfriend. She was more than that.

"_Don't worry about them." Rinoa said with her soft smile._

"_I'm not worrying," Squall somewhat rudely countered. "It's just… uncomfortable…"_

"_I see… then perhaps I shouldn't sit here…" Rinoa trailed._

"_No," Squall interrupted. "You're more important than them." _

Squall recalled that he blushed profusely at that moment. Rinoa softly giggled at Squall's timidity.

"_Don't worry," Rinoa reassured. "I was only joking…"_

He loved everything about her- the way she smiled, her gestures when she was slightly annoyed, her caressing eyes, just everything.

_What is this feeling?_

"Squall?"

_Rinoa?_

Squall turned around and searched for the source of the voice. There Rinoa stood at the bottom of the hill.

"What are you doing here?" Rinoa asked. "Weren't you supposed to run today?"

"Uh, I took the day off." Squall answered nervously. He still could not master the nervousness he felt around her.

"Oh," Rinoa responded. "I dropped off Zack to the meet, and you weren't there then when I was driving home… I saw you up…"

"… You can drive?" Squall interrupted incredulously.

Rinoa then pouted and then stamped her foot in the cute way that Squall found amusing.

"Of course!" Rinoa exclaimed. "I can drive better than you!"

"Whatever…" Squall responded.

"Whatever…" Rinoa mimicked playfully.

Squall could not believe his ears. She was mimicking him. He decided to play along. He raised one of his eyebrows at her. She showed no response. She was acting stoic like him. She sat down, and Squall proceeded with her 'game'.

"I'm cool." Squall said.

"I'm cool." Rinoa then said.

_Okay, she wants to play that way._

"I like women." Squall said with victory.

_Beat that!_

"I like men," Rinoa said while cocking her head. "Haha… you're so funny… you actually played along… I made you act lighthearted for once."

"Whatever." Squall immediately replied.

"Whatever," Rinoa then countered with a smile. "Whatever, Squall Leonhart."

They continued to look out onto the floating hilltops. The flowers would seem to go on forever and ever until they hit the forested area. Rinoa then broke the silence.

"Is there any reason why you are actually _here _today?" Rinoa asked.

_Should I tell her? No… I can't trust her… Can I? She cares for me… I can tell her anything… Why should I open up? It will only hurt to do so… I can trust her… She can help me get over it maybe… _

"Uh… my mom… she… uh… passed away… today… a while back…" Squall said aloofly.

"Oh, I'm sorry about that," Rinoa answered. "I know how you feel… my mom died of cancer when I was about ten."

Right when she said this, Rinoa just dug out her unwanted memories. She shed a quiet tear, but then more came. Squall noticed something different about Rinoa. She _did _have a share of the bad experiences in life. No matter how happy someone seems, they may have unwanted memories and experiences.

…_She needs someone… Should I do something about this? Perhaps I should show her that I care…I would do anything to see her smile again._

Squall leaned over to Rinoa and softly put his hand on her shoulder. He was surprised when she he tensed up. However the next thing surprised Squall when she quickly went for him. He was not expecting her to actually go in for the full-on embrace. He wasn't used to physical contact, it unnerved him. He smelled her scent flowing around him. Her sobbing increased. She embraced him back fiercely almost. Squall could feel her weakness in his arms. She was entrusting him now. Squall shed a tear for his mother as well.

"Rinoa," Squall said with sympathy. "I understand..."

"Yeah…" Rinoa said with melancholy. "I've been trying to forget her… my mom… it's just… it's too sad to think about…"

She continued to stay in his arms. There they sat in the illustrious flower field, both weeping for their mothers. When she was done, Rinoa looked into Squall's blank eyes.

"Thanks." Rinoa said with a smile.

Squall noticed that this smile was different from the rest of the smiles he had ever seen. She was happier now. He could feel it.

_You're welcome._

_--- _

**Author's Notes: **

Thank you everyone for reviewing my story. Your reviews encourage me to write more.


	8. Social Circumstances

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 8: Social Circumstances

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, but Squaresoft, or Square Enix, does. They own everything affiliated with Final Fantasy VIII.

---

Squall Leonhart was racing home in his car. He had just finished cross country practice, and he was drenched in perspiration due to running about six miles. Luckily, he wore deodorant, and lots of it! As he parked his car in the driveway, he contemplated the best route to get to his room. He wanted to avoid his father at all costs. He picked up his backpack unconsciously and opened the garage door.

_I wonder… Should I trail to the left through the kitchen… or should I go right and head through the living room…? He's probably watching TV or something, so I should go through the kitchen… Better open the door quietly._

Squall skillfully opened the door without noise. He cautiously stuck his head into his house peering into every direction. He adroitly used his sense of hearing to pick up any noise that his father could have made. He realized that his father must not be home.

_It's quiet… too quiet…_

He soundlessly stepped into the house. He proceeded to the left through the kitchen. Then a hand tapped his shoulder. He quickly spun around, and there his father was, inches away from Squall's face. Realizing that he was too close, Squall backed away hastily.

_NO! I've been caught! Great… here it comes…_

"Hey!" his father exclaimed. "How was your day?"

"Fine," Squall answered. "Do you need me or something?"

"No, just wanted to know how your day went," his father murmured. "Oh yeah… and I have to go on a business trip."

"Okay… I really don't…"

"I have to travel to Esthar and conduct business… son," his father interrupted. "You'll be fine without me… right?"

"Yeah… whatever…" Squall trailed off.

_Okay, you're going on a trip… I got it… HEY! Why don't I just leave?_

"_Father_, I'm busy…" Squall stated. "I'm going to my room… and don't bother with dinner… I'll bring a sandwich upstairs."

"Okay." his father responded.

_Finally! _

Squall dropped his backpack on the kitchen table. He pulled out some white bread and peanut butter. He deftly made his peanut butter sandwich. He loathed jelly. As he wrapped his sandwich in a paper towel, he grabbed his backpack and headed upstairs.

**---**

Rinoa was currently surfing the internet and chatting at the same time. She had her instant messenger on and was awaiting someone. She was thinking of Squall.

"_Now tell me…" Squall Leonhart demanded. "Why should I get a screen name?"_

"_Because… you can furthermore help me on my homework," Rinoa declared with a professional tone. "And then… I can talk to you anytime I want." _

"_Uh… is that all?" Squall asked._

"_Of course!" Rinoa exclaimed._

_I want you to open up to other people as well, Squall. I want you to confide in others. You can gain friends that will be there for you. I want to show you how life is supposed to be lived._

"_Um… okay…I already thought of a name." Squall stated. _

"_What would that be?" Rinoa wondered. _

"_Squall Leonhart." Squall responded gruffly. _

"_Haha, Squall… that's already probably taken." Rinoa said. _

"_Whatever," Squall countered. "I know what I'm doing."_

"_**Whatever, **you say," Rinoa answered with lightheartedness. "Oh yeah… 'Angelwings' is my screen name… write it down… you'll probably forget it."_

"_I don't forget easily." Squall responded with mock arrogance._

Rinoa chuckled at this flashback of hers. She had this conversation with Squall earlier at school. She was wondering if he would actually make a screen name. She then had an idea.

_I'll just add 'Squall Leonhart' to my buddy list. It's an uncommon name anyways. Let's see if 'Squall Leonhart' is actually on. _

She added this screen name, and surprisingly, Squall was already on. He was on for about 15 minutes.

_Interesting… why hasn't he IMed me yet? _

Rinoa typed up a message and started a conversation with Squall.

Angelwings: hey

Squall Leonhart: …so you just added this screen name on your buddy list? Intriguing…

Angelwings: what do you mean?

Squall Leonhart: Well, it seems like you think of me a lot since you would add this screen name on your buddy list… and you don't even know if it was taken or not…

Angelwings: Oh? thats funny, it says that you were online for about 15 minutes before i IMed you. Were you nervous to IM me or something?

_Ha… I have you now…_

Squall Leonhart: Yes… in fact… I was mortified… See there's something called _a shower_… and I was taking one…

_Nice try… but the time it took you to type that gave it all away… _

Angelwings: Interesting, still I have you talking to me now and ur making excuses… lol ur so funny…!

Squall Leonhart: …whatever… I'll be right back…

Another message popped up on Rinoa's monitor. It was from someone she didn't know.

x Hyperion x Almasy: Hello… Rinoa…

_Almasy? Oh… yeah… that must be Seifer… This is going to be great…What should I do? Wait, I have an idea…_

Angelwings: who is this?

x Hyperion x Almasy: Seifer

Angelwings: Seifer… I don't know a Seifer…

x Hyperion x Almasy: I know it's you Rinoa…

Angelwings: Rinoa? who is Rinoa?

x Hyperion x Almasy: Ask your profile…

_Busted… Man I should have deleted my prof… Now he knows… He's getting the boot…_

Angelwings: k… Seifer you got me… wait… brb…

Rinoa proceeded with her plan.

_Time to block him!_

Rinoa's problems vanquished. Not only did she block Seifer, but she 'IP' blocked him. She blocked his IP address, so he could not mess with her again. Rinoa chuckled out loud.

_Muhahahaha…you got BLOCK'D…!_

Squall Leonhart: back…

Angelwings: Squall… ima invite you to a chatroom… you can meet some of my friends…

Squall Leonhart: no…

Angelwings: for me? Please? T.T

Squall Leonhart: What is 'T.T'…

Angelwings: im crying. its the internet language. you need to learn it and thats why you need to meet my friends.

Squall Leonhart: whatever

Angelwings: brb

_Yes! I'm glad he's doing this…_

Shortly after, Rinoa was talking with her friends. She was in Selphie's chatroom. She did not know them well either, but for Squall's sake, she would spend time with her 'friends'.

Angelwings: im back.

Booyaka G: HEY Rin!

Kinneas the Cowboy: hello dearest Rinoa.

Booyaka G: im glad ur back in the chat!

Angelwings: yeah…

Punch Rush: Hey Rinoa, this is Zell Dincht.

Angelwings: oh hey! neways… ima invite someone…

Rinoa sent her invite to Squall. She knew that Squall must not have many people on his buddy list. She was going to help.

Squall Leonhart: hi.

Punch Rush: Squall! You get online! lol

Kinneas the Cowboy: extraordinary…

Squall Leonhart: I don't see what's so funny…

Booyaka G: Squall… hey… ur that guy that i bumped into in the hallway…

Squall Leonhart: then you are?

Booyaka G: Selphie…

Squall Leonhart: okay…

Angelwings: let's do introductions… im Rinoa…

Squall Leonhart: Squall obviously…

Kinneas the Cowboy: Irvine Kinneas.

Punch Rush: Zell.

Booyaka G: Selphie… like i said earlier…

**---**

Squall did not enjoy talking with all these people. School was enough for him. However, he now faced a deeper problem. He was in a chat room with two fellow cross country runners, a girl he bumped into, and Rinoa. He remained quiet while they all conversed.

Booyaka G: so, Squall… tell us about yourself…

_What do I say? This is getting awkward. _

Squall Leonhart: I'm 17, male, and attend your school.

Kinneas the Cowboy: lol

Punch Rush: rofl…

_They are laughing at me… _

Squall Leonhart: whatever…

A separate instant message appeared on Squall's monitor from Rinoa. He wondered what she was up to.

Angelwings: Don't like them?

Squall Leonhart: I really don't like anyone…

Angelwings: Oh… then what about me?

Sweat crept down Squall's forehead. He did not know how to respond to this question. He would rather be trapped in a world where time was compressed, and an evil sorceress was trying to kill him then answer this question. He thought carefully.

…_What should I do?_

Squall Leonhart: Uh… I honestly don't know… it's a feeling… i can't explain it… word's can explain what I feel… I'm heading out… see ya

Squall signed off. He then just realized that he shared how he felt to Rinoa. He felt somewhat embarrassed, but then realized something new.

_She already knows that, I just reaffirmed it. I hope she feels the same way._

A rare smile lit Squall's face. He was glad that he finally shared how he felt to Rinoa. It was another new feeling he experienced. Opening up wasn't so bad after all.

---

**Author's Notes: **

Thank you everyone for the reviews. A few words... I really thank you for your reviews... Continue to critique... And... sorry for such a bad chapter... T.T


	9. Time Flies

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 9: Time Flies

**Disclaimer: **Final Fantasy VIII belongs to Squaresoft/Square Enix. I am simply adding my own plot.

---

When good times happen, time seems to fly. Many wish that time would cease so that they could simply enjoy this bliss forever. The simple times, the times of hearty laughter, simply the peace, they all seem to make time go by faster. For Squall Leonhart, time gently breezed by like a sailboat on a zephyr. It was currently morning, and Squall had just woken up. Winter had come, and Squall was enjoying life. A Saturday morning was a perfect time for thinking. Squall continued to stay in his bed and pondered the past few months.

_Life is good…These past few months seemed to have sped right through… I still remember the first time I met you…Rinoa. Just seeing you at Calculus the first day… You changed me… Forever… Where will I be without you?_

Squall escaped into his memories of his times with Rinoa. He recalled the times when he spent time with her.

"_Squall, what's wrong?" Rinoa asked with concern._

"_Nothing Rinoa, it's just… I'm a bit nervous… that's all…" I replied._

_That day… that was the day we went to eat… eat somewhere formal. I took you out for dinner at 'Galbadia's Finest'. I guess it was our first date? Who knows… I hate all this clichéd relationship stuff during high school… This is different. This is real… I would do anything for you Rinoa… _

"_Sir, your prime rib steak." said the distinguished waiter._

"_Thank you." I politely responded._

"_Miss, your custom salad with Italian." said the distinguished waiter._

"_Why, thank you, sir." Rinoa replied with courtesy._

_Then we dug in… You didn't have anything to really eat except that stupid salad… _

"_Hey… since you have a salad… do you want some of my steak?" I asked._

"_Nah, it's okay… I'm on a diet." Rinoa answered._

"_Rin, I know you want it… and you know you want it…" I mocked._

"_No, I don't…" Rinoa then replied with seriousness._

_Then the atmosphere got serious. I felt like Hercules just getting the earth from Atlas to hold it. It was overwhelming. However, things turned to my favor… or did it?_

"_Rin… it doesn't matter what you eat…" I said with sheer absoluteness. "You'll always be beautiful…"_

_Realizing what I said… I start to blush profusely like the sun giving color and life to this world. I quickly looked down out of embarrassment… My eyes shifted to the floor. An awkward silence filled the air like indignant pollen during spring. I guess I still wasn't used to this yet… I wasn't used to the new feeling I was experiencing…_

"_Squall…" Rinoa said with adoration. "Thanks."_

_I slowly shifted my eyes back to you… The warm smile you harbored… I loved it when you did that… Your eyes… I could feel your soul, just by looking into them… I, too, smiled back, with one of the rare smiles that I contained in my possession._

Squall shifted in his bed. He then reached an epiphany. He hastily grabbed his wallet from his nightstand. There, he peered into the picture that mattered. Inside was a picture of him and Rinoa at the last cross country meet. They were standing in front of a great tree. Squall had told her about the tree and how it represented the strength that he believed Rinoa had. There they stood, smiling in pure joy. Squall had finished with first place during that race. Colleges were looking into Squall now, and they were offering scholarships. But at that moment, Squall did not care. He had a hand clasped with Rinoa's in the picture. He recalled that moment.

_I felt a stream of exhilaration when you grabbed my hand for the camera… Irvine was grinning while he took the picture. I could see it in his eyes… Luckily, he had an idea of not messing with me, so after the picture… he left. Then you let go of my hand hastily as if you were nervous… I grabbed your hand back, and you somewhat involuntarily flinched._

"_It's going to take more than that to get rid of me… Ms. Heartilly…" I said with anticipation. "Much more."_

"_Squall, I'm sorry… it's just… I get nervous too." Rinoa responded. _

"_Be the tree… okay?" I said reassuringly._

"_Hahaha, honey, that's…that's a bit… lame." Rinoa responded with mock seriousness. _

"_You know what…" I then countered with playfulness. "Whatever."_

_We laughed and laughed forever. They were great times. We still have them… That's what's motivating me to wake up._

Squall then decided to call Rinoa. He wanted to know what she was doing today. He dialed her number by memory and waited for her to pick up.

_Why is this taking so long? I hope she isn't asleep… It's 10:12 AM_

"Hello?"

"Rinoa…?" Squall asked.

"Hey." Rinoa answered.

"Hey, well I was just wondering… if you have nothing to do… maybe we can go somewhere?" Squall mentioned.

"Give me like thirty minutes… mmkay?" Rinoa responded.

"Alright, I hope I didn't wake you up… Princess." Squall said teasingly.

"My knight… you _did _wake me up…" Rinoa replied with the same tone. "You will feel my wrath later, for now, bye."

Squall hung up and got up from his bed. He put on some sweat pants and a white t-shirt. He grabbed his wallet and stuffed it in his front pocket. He then performed his morning routine. As he ran downstairs, he grabbed some cereal and ate. As he finished eating, he grabbed his keys and headed for the door. Luckily, his father was still in his business trip.

_I wonder when father is coming back… He calls like everyday, but… nevermind… I enjoy the peace here…_

Squall darted to the garage and jumped into his car. He headed out to see Rinoa again. He couldn't stop thinking about what he was going to do with her. He thought of plans.

_Another day to do something great… just what should I do? The park…? Nah… Wait… how about the book store? Balamb's Greatest was it? They have coffee and cookies… Rinoa loves cookies… We can talk there._

Squall continued to drive through the local highway. He reached Rinoa's subdivision and drove to her driveway.

_Great… It's 10:35… I'm late… She's going to kill me…_

Squall knocked on the door, and Rinoa exuberantly opened it and suddenly jumped out and grabbed him.

"You're two minutes late." Rinoa said with mock anger. "You will pay."

She started tickling Squall, and Squall fell over right at the front door. He was laughing hysterically and finally lifted his enemy off him.

"Okay, that's enough…" Squall gasped with limited breath. "Let's get out of here."

---

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry for the delays… School was something that highly affected me… Had to run track as well… Life is good overall… Continue to read and review… Thanks.


	10. The Dusty Rendezvous

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 10: The Dusty Rendezvous

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, or anything related to Square itself. I own this plot unless it is inspired from somewhere else. Whatever you find here that is offensive, it is not intended. Enjoy.

**---  
**  
"So… Squall, where are we going?" Rinoa asked intently.

"…Can't say… it's a secret." Squall replied with coolness.

"Please, just tell me… I hate surprises." Rinoa urged.

Squall Leonhart loved his ability to endure through possibly anything with silence. As the car motioned to a stop near a stoplight, Squall peered into Rinoa's eyes with his sheer stoic self. Rinoa gave out a confused look that somewhat baffled him. He breathed a sigh.

"Just don't worry about it," Squall murmured. "We'll get there, and you'll love it…"

…_I hope… Why did I do that? Whatever… Rinoa, just wait, it'll be great. Just bear with me…_

As Squall drove through the Balamb region, he took notice of the beauty of driving next to the beaches. The waves were rushing toward the sand with unremitting determination. Amazingly, the sky was displaying its majestic blue even though the weather was still a bit chilly. Squall could finally enjoy nature since it was winter.

_Glad that it isn't summer… So many people flock to the beaches… Glad no one is out there… obstructing my view… What am I doing! I'm supposed to be driving safely. Rinoa's in your car, you idiot. Pay attention to the road!_

Squall shifted his eyes to the road once more to make sure he was driving smoothly. Peripheral vision was not always reliable. He then noticed that Rinoa was gazing out her window silently.

_Wow, you're actually quiet… This is new… _

"Why are you so quiet?" Squall asked keenly.

"Huh…? Oh… Sorry, I guess I was daydreaming or whatever." Rinoa answered.

"We're almost there, Rinoa." Squall then replied reassuringly.

As Squall's car steered towards the gentle region of Balamb, Rinoa began to admire the wonder of the surrounding architecture. History itself was imprinted on these aged buildings. Rinoa's eyes sparked with hidden interest.

"Wow, these buildings… they seem so… old." Rinoa mentioned with slight wonder.

"Yeah, sort of gives out a warm feeling," Squall answered. "That's why I like them."

"There's more to Squall Leonhart than meets the eye." Rinoa commented.

"Whatever," Squall retorted. "Uh… we're here."

Squall parked his car in the dusty parking lot. As Squall stepped out of the car, he took a glimpse of the ancient bookstore, Balamb's Greatest. Despite it being winter, lush life continued to thrive as wild ivy enthroned itself on the side of the building. He peered toward Rinoa's direction and noticed that she seemed slightly flustered, or was it his imagination?

_Aw man… I hope she doesn't find me boring or anything… I just enjoy solitude… Places with books are usually calm…and silent._

"You brought me to a book store?" Rinoa asked with mixed emotions.

_She doesn't like it… great… I just screwed up…Big…_

"Uh… yeah," Squall mumbled with slight meekness. "…A quiet place where we could enjoy each other's company."

_Lame… Lame… LAME! I'm a moron. "…enjoy each other's company…?" What am I thinking…? She must think I'm weird or something. Probably wanted to do something exciting… like shopping… _

Squall gave an involuntary shudder at that thought.

_Yeah, but I just wanted to show her a little bit of myself… That's all…_

"Squall, you're lost in your thoughts again," Rinoa interrupted. "I don't know why you look so worried… I like it."

_She can tell when I'm lost in my thoughts? Incredible…wait she likes it?  
_

"Really?" Squall replied. "You like it?"

"Yeah, it's quiet, no one bothering us… I like it." Rinoa replied with slight excitement.

"There are cookies and coffee too," Squall mentioned. "The cookies are great."

"Great, let's go in then." Rinoa declared.

They traveled up the stairs and as soon as they opened the door, Rinoa saw the splendor of the building's interior. Squall also noticed that not many people were inside. He breathed a sigh of relief.

_Looks awesome as always. Not many people here either…_

"Wow, look at all the books," Rinoa mentioned. "And the bookcases and the sunlight seeping through the windows… it's all too much."

"Hey, let's go near the dining area and get something to eat." Squall suggested quietly.

"Sure." Rinoa replied.

_Alright, hope I have some gil to spare._

"So Rinoa, what kind of cookies do you want?" Squall asked.

"Whatever you get." Rinoa answered.

"I'll be back, just explore or something." Squall suggested.

Rinoa left her seat and departed to a whole other world while Squall bought his cookies and coffee. As he watched Rinoa discover a vast new world of books, he partook in his journey.

"How may I help you?" asked the clerk.

"Miss, I would like the satchel of ginger snaps… uh no…. actually scratch that… I would like the pack of chocolate chip cookies…" Squall nervously stated.

"Is that all?" asked the clerk.

_Wait, I'm forgetting something… Oh yeah…!_

"No, I forgot to mention one thing," Squall responded with growing uneasiness. "Can I have a coffee from the… uh… Gazebo blend?"

_I must sound horrible mispronouncing that foreign word. I'm stuttering like that Stanley guy…_

"Oh yeah, and some water please…" Squall finally concluded. "And that would be all."

_Phew…_

Squall secretly hated being in solitude sometimes as well. He enjoyed Rinoa's company, but felt somewhat shy to admit it. More than that, he felt something else growing deep within him: a feeling unknown to him.

_Could this be love that I feel?_

"Squall, I'm back." Rinoa affirmed. "And I brought some books too, wait what's that… those cookies smell nice."

"Yeah, I… uh… bought them." Squall said lamely.

_Yeah, of course you bought them…_

"Well take some…" Squall suggested a bit too strongly. "And the coffee too…"

An hour passed by. Squall was sitting down with a book in hand. Rinoa was reading a comic book. She put the comic book down on the table, catching Squall's attention.

"Squall, I want to know something." Rinoa asked straightforwardly.

_Okay, whatever you ask… I'll be ready for it… I'm just overreacting… She probably wants to know something trivial…_

"Okay." Squall replied with slight anxiety.

"Will you ever leave me?" Rinoa asked with slight depression. "I don't know what life without you would be like."

_What to say… what to say… just tell her… just tell her what you feel about her… She understands you… she's alright. She won't leave you. _

"Rinoa, I'll never leave you." Squall confidently acknowledged. "You've given me something that has changed me forever."

"What's that?" Rinoa asked with uttercuriosity.

"Hope," Squall replied. "Hope in life, in everything… you've given me meaning… you've completed me somehow… I feel the same way."

_That wasn't so bad. That wasn't bad at all._

"Oh Squall, I love you." Rinoa replied.

_I love you too… more than I show it. So it is love after all…_

"I… uh…" Squall weakly said.

_What? If I mess this up, I'll contemplate methods of suicide._

"No, there's no reason to be uneasy about this." Squall firmly said. "I love you."

They embraced tightly. In the bookstore with no one minding them, they embraced. Squall gazed upon her warm eyes. He loved everything about her. From the first day he laid his eyes on her, he knew there was something special about her. But the thing he loved most was just who she was. Her soul was gentle yet firm, and she helped him in so many ways. She lit his path. He couldn't hold it in anymore. Nervously, he drew closer to her in their embrace. He went in to further his knowledge of who Rinoa was. Rinoa, too, drew closer. They kissed their very first kiss that day. Her eyes sparkled with adoration.

"I love you."

---

**Author's Notes: **

I am terribly sorry for not updating any sooner. I've been slacking, and I'm sorry for it. Truly, truly sorry. About Squall changing so fast, I'm sorry as well... I guess the story enveloped me, and I went along by impulse. From now on, I would like to plan the plot out as efficiently as possible though thinking how I could display these characters to their fullest. Please critique. I want to sharpen this story as best as I can to make it great. Thank you reviewers for constantly supporting me. Your reviews inspire me to carry on my work.

**Leon,** No it's not a yaoi... read more of it!

**Rin Seren,** thank you for your constant support.

**Stardust Ray,** I will try to make this story better and better; however, it's hard, and I need critique. I enjoy your story about the T-Rexuars, and I absolutely adore your story on the Clash of the Gardens.

**zornoid13,** Thanks for your constant support as well. I updated. .

**heartillyangel,** Your reviews give me a fuzzy feeling inside. Your story is great.

**Lady-Rinoa,** Thank you, the reviews you wrote helped me a lot!

**Rinny Leonhart,** I'm sorry, I'll add school to the story more...!

**Wollff,** Thanks... I'm glad it adds some unique aspect.

**Pisher,** You're awesome.

**aznchiki,** Thanks for the review... I'm glad it's cute.


	11. Love and Death

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 11: Love And Death

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. I don't own Final Fantasy VII either. Nor Final Fantasy Tactics. I wish I owned that one though. That game was awesome. I'm borrowing it right now, and it rocks. Well anyways, here's the story.

---

They left the library with renewed visions of grandeur. Squall realized that as time progressed, their relationship grew stronger. Like the tree he was quite fond of, they became deeply enrooted in each other. The roots grew deeper and deeper into the soil, and the tree became stronger.

Squall never _ever _knew that life could feel so… _good. _He was on the verge of just screaming to the world that he_ loved _Rinoa Heartilly. He wanted every person on the face of the planet to know that _he _out of everyone, found _love_. Love was Rinoa Heartilly.

The car ride was soundless, and both songbirds were too shy to sing their songs. Deeply engrossed in thought, Squall daydreamed of scenarios in which he declared to the world of his love towards his dear Rinoa. He didn't care anymore of what others thought of him. Their opinions didn't matter. So _this_ was love. Who cares about what others think!

"Wow," said Rinoa out of the blue, "today was _one_ of those days."

"What do you mean?" asked Squall with childlike curiosity.

"You know… a day never to be forgotten," said Rinoa mystically, "I don't ever want to forget this day."

"Me neither," said Squall almost gruffly.

The car drove on, even the silence was heavenly. Whether she talked incessantly about her day or sat there quieter than his days of introspection, he didn't care. Her presence there was enough.

_I never knew that something like this existed in the world. __I never knew that you could love someone more than you love yourself. I never knew, I never knew…_

"Hey Rinoa…" said Squall with his voice suddenly changed.

"Yeah?" asked Rinoa.

"I love you," said Squall smiling.

"Squall," she laughed slightly, "you never get tired of saying that?"

"Nope," said Squall smiling more, "I love you. I love you. I love you! It never gets old. I could say those words to you forever."

"I love you, too." said Rinoa grinning, "I love you. I love you. And… I love _you!_"

_I'll probably wear the words out if I say them to you… again and again. So I'll just say it in my head. I love you. I love you. I love you… Rinoa Heartilly. _

The songbirds flew across clouds and up thermals. They continued to chirp their love as they flew. The sun was bright, and life was good. They edged their way towards more things to do, for life was full of opportunities.

Little did they know, lightning would soon strike, and the songbirds would soon be separated. They would sing their song in hopes of finding each other, but all they would hear is the lightning returning its malevolent laugh. The songbirds would desperately try, but would they find each other?

There was only one lane on each side of the road, and an old car was moving like a tortoise on one of those sides. The driver was an old lady that shouldn't be on the road in the first place. An impatient man was driving right behind the slow car.

He was in a rush to get to the library, for he discovered that his son was there. When this man had first reached home an hour before, he wondered where his son was. He called out his name, but couldn't find him.

The father called his son's cell phone number, but he wasn't there. Where could he be?

When he reached his computer, his son had an away message on his instant messenger. It read, "Gone either at school or the library or somewhere cool…call the cell if you need me".

_Call the cell? It wasn't even on. _

Since it was Saturday, his son couldn't be at school. The father decided to see if he was at the library.

The father felt so alone. His son living a life without him. His wife and daughter passed away.

His son would never love him. His son hated him. The more the father tried to reconcile, the more the son pushed him away. His son was basically self-sufficient for the past few months because of that stupid business trip. His son didn't need him.

The father became irrational in thought. At first, he was going to the library to see his son, but then he realized there was no point. He had nothing else left in this world. Then there it was- the opportunity.

The father needed escape, and he wanted to leave with the world with a bang. Too much pain. His life had no meaning, no purpose. He just didn't care anymore. He wanted rest… peace.

This car in front of him was way too slow, so he would pass her through the other lane- the _wrong _lane. Even though the lines were solid and not dotted, he would _illegally _pass her, for _everyone _did it. He needed to pass this granny car _now._

The opportunity. Why not die here? I'll be on the news. The freak that decided to drive on the other lane and die of a head-on-collision. Well, maybe not a head-on-collision. He would bail out to the side in the end. He couldn't kill anyone… that was _preposterous_. He would just hit a tree.

He took his seatbelt off and was ready to leave everything- his life, his son and meet with his dead wife. He immediately shifted left to the wrong side of the road. He sped up. Then he realized that maybe he wasn't ready for death.

This wasn't his day. He didn't want to die anymore. He was chickening out. Perspiration and the hairs on his back and his shaking legs, these were all the signs. He should go back to his lane into safety.

The grandma was angry that _another _person would pass her… again. So, she decided to prove that she could speed up. She accelerated, but when she did, she cut off the father's means of safety.

While this was happening for a few brief seconds, he realized that he should brake and go back to the right side of the road. By the time he realized this, it was too late.

A car was approaching him, and there the head-on-collision would happen. The car was right there, and he was going to die. He was peering at his death for just one second. At that second, his mind ran at Mach 10.

He turned the steering wheel to the left with machinelike precision. He grazed the car in the front slightly while trying to avoid the car. The car he hit spun out of control.

At that second before the father was about to hit a tree, the happiest moments of his life were all recounted.

His marriage and wife, the birth of his daughter and then the birth of his son. The times of laughter and joy- where his son actually _loved_ him. His wife's radiant smile filling his body with cordiality. How he could see himself in his daughter and then see his wife at the same time. The simple times, the rough times, the best of times.

He hit a tree and flew out the windshield after that second. Tragedy. His body was a few meters away from the crashed car.

The last thought of Laguna's life was how the car he grazed looked quite familiar.

---

**Author's Notes: **

It's been a loooong time. The people that probably read this story about a year ago probably forgot about what happened here. Well, here I am writing again. I was writing on another story on Final Fantasy VIII, and when I finish it, I'll post it up. For now, I came up with an idea of this story. I think I can finally end it properly. Here it goes. The story will last a little longer after all. It's going to finish with a _bang_.


	12. Revelations

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 12: Revelations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own or imply that I own the ideas of the party Square-Enix. They made the creative Final Fantasy Series. I'm just trying to imitate their ingenuity. Their storytelling is marvelous, and I can only hope that my story will reflect perhaps a portion of what I perceive the Final Fantasy world should be, alternately-viewed that is.

---

A crash. Loud noise. So loud.

Squall was happily enjoying his time with Rinoa. They were in his car, and for once, he had let his guard down.

The thought of something _terrible_ happening to him never crossed his mind while he was with Rinoa. She made things better. She made life better.

Then his car had spun out of control and ended up near the wreckage of the lunatic car that hit him. Some crazy decided to crash into him head-on, but luckily, the crazy tried to turn out of the way, at the _very _end. Squall wasn't dead fortunately.

It was all a blur. Too quick to recount and process at the same time. It was a car accident. No, it was a _collision_. This couldn't have been an accident.

_Ugh… my car's messed up… _

His mind took time to register all the information pertaining to the crash. Jigsaw pieces formed together to complete the whole picture.

_The car tried to get out of the way… That car turned right…well to my right… what's the point… Forget all the logistics… It turned 'that' way…_

He mentally pointed with his dazed eyes in the direction of the wrecked car.

_It then grazed the right side of my car. The passenger's seat… _

He looked over in that direction and encountered a force that left him breathless. That feeling was shock. He stopped breathing for a minute and didn't even notice.

_RINOA!_

That car had indirectly hit Rinoa. There was dangerous blood flowing from her forehead. However, what was more hazardous was that she was out cold. Dead. Squall realized this with his innate ability to register information with a cynical undertone. Fate would never let up.

_NO! She's not dead… she's unconscious… right? She can't be dead. I love her… Not like last time… no… no… why! Two car crashes in a lifetime? This is insane. I lose my mother in one and the love of my life in the other. No, she's not dead. Just check her pulse. Yeah, check her pulse. It will all be alright… Wait, what am I thinking? You can't hope… You need to expect the worst… not wish for what's best. Shut up, shut up, **SHUT UP!** Just check her pulse… Just check her pulse… _

Squall started to extend his fingers for Rinoa's pulse. Uncertainty plagued his thoughts like locusts raiding wheat crops.

_Just do it, Squall… You can do it… No, I'm too scared. What if she's dead? Just do it, idiot. _

He tremblingly brought his fingers and touched Rinoa's blood-drenched neck. He frantically looked for any signs of life. He searched and searched for that signal that would mean Rinoa was alive with the same tenacity a miner has when looking for gold. His tremulous fingers wavered all over her neck repeatedly. His thoughts continued to kill him slowly.

_Her eyes… they're shut. They could be shut forever. Why am I not finding this pulse? Because she's dead…that's why… You shouldn't have fallen in love… The people you love… end up dead. Love is blind and stupid and **stupid**. Of course something like this was probable…I have to look out for all possibilities…and be ready for them… _

Yes, he _did _need to look for all possibilities. He was about to experience one he did not expect.

A miracle. A slow, weak thump answered and proved all his sadistic thoughts wrong. He smiled and cheered and laughed and cried and then smiled again. He screamed fits of joy, and his legs were kicking like a rabbit trying to defend itself. And yet, this joy cannot _fully _be expressed in words. To get a grasp of this joy, picture this.

Ever wonder how it feels like to win the lottery? To be financially-secure for the rest of your _life_? To never, _ever _have to worry about money again. To never, _ever _have to worry about whether your kids will have enough money? To never, _ever _have to worry about whether your kids will have enough money for the rest of _their _lives? To have your last name associated with 'financially-secure until hell freezes over, _thaws, _hell freezes over again, thaws, and hell freezes over _forevermore_?

And all this _just _because you have millions and millions of gil?

Well, envision that joy with every fiber of your brainpower.

Okay, good. Try again if you're not satisfied.

Then mathematically, imagine that joy multiplied by… let's say a million, _cubed_. Well there you have it ladies and gentlemen, that is a miniscule comparison to the joy that our hero Squall was currently experiencing.

His usual inexpressive self was completely submersed by happiness. If he wasn't in his damaged car then he would have ran victory laps around the world. Then the next day, he would do it _again_.

He was undergoing a radical change in his life. With happiness equivalent to a naive child's, he felt _alive._ Had he been dead before? Yes.

Discovering life after a cataclysmic event always, _always _makes your bed feel softer, shower seem more refreshing, and water taste better. As long as you come out a survivor in the end, everything will be okay.

_And thank you God! If I had lost Rinoa then I would have lost myself._

Amazingly, this lasted only for a few minutes. Surprisingly, he finally calmed down. All this joy was filed away in the deep recesses of his black, well now it's appropriate to call it- _whitening_, heart. He was back to his stoic self, inexpressive and indifferent to petty emotions… well, not really. His joy just piped down to the level of _controllable_.

_I'm so glad you're alive, Rinoa. I thought you were dead… You're not dead, you're just unconscious. _

Her impact on his life was huge. In the past, he would have perceived unconsciousness as a bad thing. "…great, another person with problems bigger than mine," is what he would have probably thought.

Instead, he was elated that his beloved was _unconscious. _At least not dead… _right_? At least have a _chance _to wake up sometime soon.

He was walking down the path for optimism already!

Squall exited his ruined car and took notice of the sudden change in weather. The sun was not shining anymore, but ominous clouds covered it. The blue sky was devoured by gray haze.

He pulled out his cell phone. Noticing that it was turned off, he quickly turned it on. He dialed 911.

A dispatcher asked Squall the standard questions about what happened. He explained to the best of his ability. Then he asked _almost _hysterically that an emergency vehicle come and pick up Rinoa- a victim of the crash.

Then the dispatcher asked an important question.

"Sir, what about the person that crashed into you," asked the dispatcher, "is that person okay?"

"I don't know…" answered Squall, "let me go check."

He walked over to the crash sight- pure carnage. Some gusts of wind blew through his hair while he approached it. The air was chilly, causing his arms to feel slightly numb. The wind grew worse. It felt like a thousand needles were pricking into his arms now. He folded them together to keep warm. No effect. He was trying to stifle the pain, but it only grew worse.

His body was starting to suffer, but his heart would suffer _much _more.

Squall noticed a man laying down a few meters away from the crashed car. It was him- the crazy. Blood had soaked into the ground. He was lying under a burgundy carpet of dead grass.

As Squall approached the man, the wind blew like a raging tornado. Mother Nature must have not wanted him to go this way. No use, he had to find some identification of some sort to report back to the authorities.

_Man, I'm cold… Come on, cut me some slack, wind. _

Squall finally plowed past the flurry of wind blockading his way to the crazy man. Amazed that only a couple of meters could be so tiresome, and he was only _walking _too!

_Wow, that was tough, wind… But I'm here, and I beat you._

When he reached there, he couldn't believe his eyes. Perhaps he had wished that he stayed back at home in bed- away from the cruelties that the world always managed to implement into his life. Why had he gone to the library in the first place? Then none of this would have happened. He dropped his cell phone onto the ground while surveying his dead father.

…_Dad? But why did you crash into me? I thought you were at a business trip… Dead! WHY! _

There was no possible way Squall's father was alive. The blood was overwhelming; it was everywhere. He heard a small voice as fragile as the dying wind around him. He did not know where it was coming from. He looked up to the sky. It was clearing now.

He cried. Men rarely cry unless something so tragic happens. This was one of those moments. Squall had lost two parents. He was on his own.

The wind became calm and gently whispered into his ears. This silenced his sobs. His eyes widened twofold.

"My son, I'll see you later,"

---

**Author's Notes:**

Sorry, past few months I've been working on another story, but I haven't published it here on fanfiction. I wanted to see if I could make the plot better, and it's working. Expect to see it on here, soon...**  
**

**Stardust Ray**, thanks for the review. Got to love the granny.

**Lady-Rinoa14,** thanks as well. More twists are to come.

**Cerulean Crystal,** youguessed it...

**Luis,** thanks for the review. Glad to have _you _here.


	13. Rock Bottom

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 13: Rock Bottom

**Disclaimer:** Okay, you get the message. I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. I don't own _any _Final Fantasy, period. I don't own the character Squall Leonhart or Rinoa Heartilly or her brother Zack or her father the anal General Caraway, who in my story softened up. I own nothing except this plot. Thank you.

---

His father was dead. His father was dead. 

He was gone. No more dad in the world.

This whole time, Squall had wished that his father would go away. That his father would just leave him alone and let him carry on with his own life.

Unfortunately during times of aggravation, Squall had _even _wished that his father would go away _forever_ as in… die. Thoughts of death sometimes followed his father just like how the grim reaper follows its unsuspecting clients.

Ironically, his father _did_ diethis time. Now Squall was currently experiencing a feeling that he never thought would be attributed with his father. Never in his lifetime did he think that he would submerse himself with these thoughts.

He experienced grief like never before. He thought that after his mom died, his life would end. He was wrong. His life went on, but this was that feeling again, and _this _time- even worse. He had _no _parents this time.

He only saw despair. His pessimism was on full throttle mode. His view on life was bleaker than the way a person dying of bubonic plague viewed it. That optimism he experienced _earlier_ was devoured by the monster within him- disparagement.

He was drowned in guilt. The waters were slowly filling, and Squall was gasping for air. The water soon would envelop him and eventually kill him. He initially asked, "How can I escape?" Later he would ask, "How will I live?"

All those times he _shrewdly _talked back, or even worse, just ignored his father… it was all starting to come back at him. To bite him back in the butt. Regret.

_Why! Why was he driving on the wrong lane? He clearly knew what he was doing. Did he want to leave with a message? A message that said, "Squall, if this is the only way that I could get your attention, then here it goes, goodbye, and I hope, yes **hope**, that you miss me."_

Was he being punished for being heartless to his father?

And what would he do _now_?

He was still seventeen, only a few months until he turned into an adult. Without a legal parent, he would be pushed into foster care.

He didn't want to like with people he barely knew for just a few months. He didn't want to live at _all._

_Good, think of thoughts like that. Problems you need to solve. Don't focus on the grief… Crap! _

He shouldn't have reminded himself of _that word_. He would try desperately to forget _that word_. Like all those who suffer with melancholy, he would bury _that word_ somewhere in the deep recesses of his heart, heart that was darkening every moment, heart that was dying every moment. Yet, buried things always resurface.

He didn't care. He couldn't face this. It was too hard, too arduous, too grueling…

_…too… every word in the dictionary that means in some manner, "difficult". That's what I'm facing. This is a race I'll never finish, a test I'll never complete, a match I'll never win._

He needed Rinoa. Oh, lovely Rinoa, he sought for. When would she wake up from her slumber? When would she be there to comfort him? To be there, with the warm embrace of her smile. The way her soothing eyes always understood, always cared, always _loved_. Just that she was simply _there. _

The doctors were administering aid to Rinoa. They were trying their best. They had advised that no one come in except family members and close friends. He tried to watch through the window, but found out he couldn't watch it at all. The doctors pricking his poor Rinoa with the IVs and rough-handling her while yelling, "clear." Five minutes of watching the _operation_ intensified the torment his mind was going through.

Now, Squall was sitting on a chair in the lounge of Balamb's Emergency Room lounge, patiently engulfed in his thoughts for what it seemed like minutes. However, he finally realized that hours went by in a quick blur. He was starting to worry about Rinoa even more.

He heard footsteps behind him- from the direction of the door that automatically opened when you approached it like it was already waiting for you to come. His ears picked up two sets of feet walking his way in rapid succession. Anxiety. The people that went to the Emergency Room were not happy campers.

The footsteps stopped right at the rear of Squall. He could not see who they were, but did not care. They had no business with him. He was here for Rinoa.

So was _her_ dad.

"Squall…" he said with the voice of a controlled dam, "where's my daughter?"

He was shocked to hear the voice of Rinoa's dad and immediately did a double take and turned around. The footsteps had belonged to Mr. Caraway, and the familiar Zack.

"Yeah Squall," deadpanned Zack, "we would like to see her."

_It wasn't my fault! I was paying attention to the road. Why are you talking to me like I killed her or something! It wasn't my FAULT! _

He pointed to a hallway and gave out directions. Mr. Caraway nodded with precision while Zack stared into space. He was copying Squall's method of coping.

"I'm sorry," said Squall finally, "I'm sorry for everything, sir."

"There's nothing else to worry about my son," said Mr. Caraway with tears glistening his eyes, "I heard about your father, _I'm_ sorry, as well."

_My father…_

"What's done is done," commented Zack quietly, "I hope she's okay."

_Me too. If only I pulled away in time. If only I was paying attention a little bit more. If only I didn't go out to the library that day. If only Rinoa and I just stayed friends. No, if only I never met her at all. That would have been the best. I wouldn't have to cope with this pain. When you experience good, you remember the good. Then later when you experience the bad, it hurts more since you remember the good. If I never experienced the good, I would cope with this pain better._

There was something terribly wrong with what Squall had just thought. He knew it too.

_No. That's not the way. I remember that void I felt before I met Rinoa. That missing piece to the puzzle. You were the piece. It fit perfectly. Everything made sense… life made sense. You were my life. You were my love. Love's the meaning of life. You were the meaning of life. _

_I understand. I have a purpose, something to work with. You will get better, Rinoa. Count on it. I'll be there for you. When you wake up, I hope the first face you'll see is mine. _

The close-knit Zack and Mr. Caraway walked down the corridor together in silence. Squall envied their flourishing relationship. He wanted his father back. He wanted to reconcile and make up for all the things he did wrong. So much unfinished business.

_Don't dwell in it._

Without notice, Squall was on the path of reverting back to his own self. Yet then, Rinoa's influence kicked in and constantly reminded him of sanguinity. His self-reliance was a good thing, no doubt, but it didn't work for the more _important _things in life.

Fortunately, if it weren't for Rinoa's influence in his life, he would completely rely on his old friends again- skepticism, nonchalance, and indifference. Then again, if it weren't for Rinoa, he wouldn't have this inner battle within himself. The old Squall versus the _changed _Squall. He would still be the old Squall.

Was that _really _a bad thing? To be his old self? If he had a chance to go back into time and change the past, would he choose to never have talked to Rinoa in the first place? He couldn't answer that question.

Squall continued to sit and think to himself. People walked by, gave him strange looks, and then left, just like how they first came. He didn't care. Why would he care? He was lost. Lost in thought.

He needed some fresh air. He needed to get out of there. Maybe he would run. Whenever he ran, he felt as if his mind was clearer and sharper. He just felt like running. Waiting here was starting to kill him.

_But, what if you wake up while I'm gone? Then you'll see my soon. I need to rethink some things, Rinoa, and my mind has done too much worrying. I'll be back. _

He got off the chair. The chair had given him some good thinking time that he hadn't done in awhile. Since he had this sudden craving for a serving of seven miles, he decided to run back home and bring back a book or something. Then he would run back.

Wait. He badly needed a shower. The accident left his body mustier than a construction worker's. When he reached home, the one thing he would do was- take a shower and then excessively deodorize himself. Then he would come back to the hospital. Hopefully when running back, he wouldn't sweat… much. It was only three and a half miles back. He would be fresh.

He started towards the door and lengthened his stride. His breathing became systematic and rhythmic. That natural runner's high rushed in like how the waves rush onto the sandy beachside.

He left the hospital, and when he approached the road, everything came into view.

_There they are… the people, the cars, and the stores. All waiting for me to pass them._

He did pass them. Everything was a blur. Some people waved and cheered, for they knew who he was. He was Squall Leonhart, runner extraordinaire. They read about him in the newspapers. They _saw _him in the newspapers. The Balamb community knew it all.

Squall ignored them. He pressed on without waving back or acknowledging them. His head was focused only on the path ahead of him. He would just run away from it all.

He jumped curbs for fun. Then he continued to keep his stride long. His arms were pumping meticulously beside him in an orderly manner. If his form was sloppy, he would waste more energy then necessary.

_It's been awhile. I forgot what if felt like to run for fun._

The coaches beforehand had pressured him about his times. They picked at him like how buzzards pick at a dying jackrabbit. They continued to tell him that he needed to get his times down, and that he needed to get just a little faster for college. He was doing his best, but then, running wasn't fun anymore.

_This _was fun. He could do whatever he wanted. He could slow down, speed up, skip, prance around, _anything. _

He remembered that it was about a seven mile roundtrip from the hospital to his house and back. That was easy. Child's play.

_Rinoa, I hope that you will come back soon. I miss you. _

He continued on, unwavering, only seeing the goal ahead of him.

---

**Author's Notes:**

**Lady-Rinoa14,** thanks for always reviewing. It doesn't really matter if it was late.

**Cerulean Crystal,** Yes, I've made him an orphan. Sorry.

**Serene Angel Wing,** I'm glad that you felt this way about my story. I've never made anyone cry before.

**Stardust Ray,** you're always reviewing... thanks. Yeah, I like that part of my story too.

**Rinny Leonhart,** maybe or maybe not. Never know.

**Luis,** thanks for reviewing. Sorry, I barely know you...


	14. Reflections

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 14: Reflections

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the franchise known as "Final Fantasy". I do own the games though, and they are quite fun. If any official of Square is reading this then I want you to get this message. I love you guys, and all the credit goes to you. Good job, and don't screw up Final Fantasy XII. I mean, make it _good_, that is.

--- 

When Squall reached the front door of his house, he carefully inspected the area around him. He looked over his shoulder casually, and then tried to survey his surroundings a little bit more. Realizing that no one was around him, he reached under his mat. A key was advantageously hidden there. He grabbed the key with anxious fingers acting on their own, and then, while fumbling with the single key, he unlocked the door and went inside.

When he approached the living room, a strange feeling compelled him to move towards the couch. He found his father's briefcase there. His father must have left it there after the business trip. Curious, he grabbed it and decided to look inside.

Squall found an abundance of files, reports, documents, and basically all the things a businessman would have in his possession. He searched a little deeper and found a brown pocketbook.

When he opened the pocketbook, he was astonished with what he found.

He found old pictures of himself. He was young, and it looked like he was happy too. The picture showed his father giving Squall a piggyback ride. Squall was smiling a genuine smile in the picture.

Squall imitated that same smile while viewing this photo and didn't realize it.

He found more photos. Photos he had forgotten about. He saw the wedding picture of his mother and father. They looked about a thousand years younger. They also looked happy with smiles that resembled crescent moons.

He saw his sister too.

_Ellone. I haven't seen you in awhile. I need to call you. Tell you about what happened. You're so far away. _

In the picture, a young Ellone was wearing the hat of a medieval sorceress. It was Halloween. Her mouth was half-opened, and it looked like she was saying, "Ha." She had a broom as well and positioned it like she was flying on it. One hand firmly grasped the broom, but the other hand was pointing at something else, so it appeared.

When the picture was taken, that hand was gesticulating in the manner of the swaggering sorceress. She was imitating the sorceress by pointing at things for her servants to do. She would say do this and do that. Clean that up, put that broom in the shed with my million other brooms, and kill that rabbit so I can cook it in my stew. She was playing "pretend". Playing "pretend" was fun.

_You always were the type to tell me what to do. Always there to protect. You were also a good at acting too. _

He looked at the next picture. He saw himself, but a lot younger. He was the sorceress's knight. That was Squall's first day of "trick or treat". He had a fake gunblade on his shoulder and on his face was an equally fake grin he tried out. He was trying to look cool like how he thought a sorceress's knight should look, but now it just looked stupid. Rinoa would have gone ballistic talking about how cute Squall was, and then she would wonder what happened.

_Rinoa…_

The next picture was one with the sorceress and the knight together. Ellone's arm was around Squall's shoulder. Squall _really _gave a genuine grin this time, and Ellone's affable smile was now recognizable. She didn't look like the cruel sorceress, but the loving sister he kind of missed.

There were more pictures too. Various memories were uncovered like how one discovers treasure in the sand. He had forgotten. Now he remembered.

His father had a journal too. It looked thicker than an encyclopedia. Squall looked through it with inquiring eyes.

_"Sometimes, it's hard Raine," said the first entry, "I can't raise them on my own. They've become different. Ever since you left, the kids have kind of changed."_

_"I miss you so much," paraphrased another entry passionately. _

Squall felt the same way with Rinoa as well. His father's entries were already driving cynicism down his throat. He started to doubt that Rinoa would survive.

_"Now I can see that Ellone is taking your place as mother," his father wrote, "she's helping out a lot with Squall and other things like the dishes, cleaning up, helping with homework, and just taking care of him. I love them so much. When I look into Ellone's eyes, I see you. She's so beautiful. All that came from you, of course."_

_"Squall's distant with me now," said a long entry, "he doesn't talk to me that much anymore. I guess that's the way he's coping. He doesn't talk that much outside either, and I've heard this from a teacher from his school. When we ate dinner yesterday, he was quiet as usual, but this time he was looking out the window into the setting sky. Maybe it was coincidence, but I thought he was looking for you. Sometimes I think he misses you more than me, but that's only sometimes. You're the only thing I think about when I go to bed. I love you."_

Squall had no idea that his father had loved his mother so much. It was kind of creepy reading his father's private journal entries, but now he knew his father a little bit more. He may have appeared cheerful and joyful and pleasant and jovial and all the synonyms of happy, but inside, he really were none of those things.

_"He can't stand me I've realized," said the next entry, "he's… annoyed by me. Everything I do seems to make him mad. When I talk, he gives "the look." I wish he would understand, but he's too young. I hope that one day he can see through my eyes."_

Guilt was coming back again like at the hospital, but this time Squall knew better. He would solve these mistakes by never repeating them again. Still, he grieved. Teardrops fell and drenched the pages of his father's journal.

He frenetically turned to recent entries near the back.

_"I miss him Raine," said an entry near the last, "I call Squall, but he leaves just a few words here and there. I didn't even know he had a girlfriend, but he left some clues when I talked to him on the phone. Yet the boy's still so easy to read."_

Squall became slightly mad, but then realized that this was his _father_. Of course, his father would know his son like the palm of his hand.

_"I hate this business trip. These six months are killing me. I want to see him. We've sort of drifted away, Raine. I know we need the money, but I can feel this… this… depression starting to eat away at me from the inside. I miss you. I miss him."_

_"Ellone is in college now, but you know that," said an entry with a brighter note, "she turned out fine. I'm glad that she turned out fine. You were watching from above weren't you? Thanks."_

Squall read the last entry with eyes of unremitting wetness.

_"I'm in the plane, and I'm about to get home. I wonder what Squall's doing. I'm going to surprise him. Can't wait to get home!"_

That guilt came again to take his toil on Squall's soul. Anguish, regret, and misery all mixed in one like a magnum tornado. He was hit by it and blown away.

Yet, he continued on. He would get over this; he would recover; he would live.

_"I can't wait to see him. I can't wait to see his girlfriend too."_

He was reminded of Rinoa. He needed to get back and see her. No, first he would shower.

_"Maybe I'll visit Ellone too. But, I want to see Squall and have a nice talk with him. This time, I'll tie him down or something. He can't escape, right Raine?"_

Squall gave a short bark of a laugh while in tears. His father _really _was funny. Had his teenage rebellious ways really blinded him of this beforehand when his father had made similar comments? Perhaps.

_"But, we'll have a good talk. Maybe one day, we will rekindle our relationship… just like before."_

Squall closed the book. He would take it with him to the hospital and read it more while waiting to see what Rinoa was diagnosed with.

_I'll never ever do that again. From now on, running away from the problem won't help. I need to confront it. I made a mistake, that's all it is… a mistake. I can get over mistakes. My life will not end. I will continue on. I will live. I will live. I will live…_

"Father, if you can hear this," sobbed Squall while viewing the ceiling. He imagined looking into the sky. "I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. Forgive me."

After all this thinking about his father, Squall decided that he would get a job, for now he needed some money. That was the least he could do. The officials of Balamb had picked up his father's body and prepared it for burial. Squall would make that burial _proper._

After that, he remained silent. Stifled sobs here and there, Squall still hated to cry. Yet, he felt his soul was reviving. Now, all he needed to do was do his best to not repeat the past mistakes of being unsympathetic.

There was Rinoa. Would she really awaken? His skepticism arose like weeds on a perfect lawn. How would he know if she would wake up? Would she live?

He _didn't_ know, but instead, he recalled all the wonderful times he spent with her. He remembered all the things she taught him. He remembered her. If she died, he would remember these things, and they would embody Rinoa. He would carry on like his father did when his mother died, for he truly _loved _Rinoa.

Would there be anyone else? Maybe. He never felt this way towards a person before, but anything could happen in the future. Skepticism was useful sometimes. How would he know if he would meet someone else that could change his life like Rinoa did? The benefit of the doubt.

_Rinoa. With or without you, I'll remember you… forever. I might fall in love again, but it won't be the same. Frankly, I believe our relationship is more than love. A lot more. Right now, I honestly think that no one will ever take your place. **But**__you know me… always trying to see __all the possibilities… and trying to get ready for them. Still… I love you. _

He climbed up the stairs to take his shower. Then he would return to the hospital.

--- 

**Author's Notes: **

**Squall Leonhart 501,** thanks.

**Serene Angel Wing,** I try... and I like when you analyze :D

**reaper,** what do you mean by "sorry"?

**Cerulean Crystal,** booyaka!

**Luis,** updated.


	15. Resolutions

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 15: Resolutions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. Square does. They also own Kingdom Hearts 2 which I am currently anticipating. In that game, there is a character named Leon. He needs a haircut.

---

The bathroom door suddenly flung open. Steam was exiting the bathroom, and it was mixing with fresh air from the outside. The hot shower had steamed up the mirrors so much that Squall couldn't see his reflection. It was extremely hot in the bathroom- so hot that he couldn't breathe. Well, he _could_ breathe, but he would rather have the dry desert air in Centra then this sauna air he was currently sucking in. Therefore, the open door appeared to be salvation for Squall Leonhart's despairing lungs. 

He had run a half-marathon before, and he could actually breathe then. The bathroom felt like a full-blown marathon at full sprint. No wait, it was _worse_.

_Air! _

He jumped out of the bathroom, not caring that the fresh air unexpectedly pelted his skin with chilliness. Goosebumps arose from his epidermis with fervency.

Air was all that mattered. He could take a little cold. The towel kept him warm… well kind of. At least he could breathe now.

He was wrong. It became colder.

Decisions, decisions. He needed to make one, now. Should he go back in or stay out?

A scintillating light bulb came on, and Squall knew what to do.

He lunged for the doorknob with wild fingers. As fast as he could, he moved the door back and forth to act as a makeshift vacuum. Air was rushing in and rushing out. Perhaps some fresh air would enter the bathroom. Perhaps the hot air and cold air would mix and make comfortable warm air.

He leaped back into the bathroom like how a rabbit hopped back into its hole.

_It's manageable. I'll live…_

He changed into a fresh set of clothes that would soil with mild sweat by the time he reached the hospital. Thus, he scrupulously applied some antiperspirant deodorant on all his major sweat spots. He couldn't risk _mild _sweat; it was still sweat.

Now he would gear up. He grabbed his cell, his father's journal which brought him sad thoughts that he quickly dismissed away, and just incase, his wallet for need of money and personal identification. His pictures of Rinoa were in there too. He liked those pictures.

After Squall was done, he searched for any thoughts he might have forgotten. A long, quiet standstill, he continued to search like how children search for Easter eggs among tall grass. Finally, he was reminded of his sister Ellone.

_Oh yeah, I need to call Sis. Tell her about what happened._

He looked for his sister's number on his list of contacts. He chose it and couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. He hadn't talked to Ellone in forever.

"Squall?" came from the other line.

"Hey Sis, yeah, it's me…" replied Squall.

"It's been a long time…" chirped Sis, "so what's going on?"

"Nothing really," said Squall, and then he winced at his white lie.

_This isn't going to be good…_

"Oh?" responded Sis, "are you sure? Even though I haven't talked to you for awhile, I can still tell if you're hiding something…"

_You could always read my mind. I guess I have no choice… _

"…Father's," Squall spat with his voice cracking slightly, "Father's…_dead_." He finally said it.

"What!"

"He's… dead."

"Are you sure!"

_Yes, I'm sure! I saw his body for crying out loud._

"Yes, he got in a car accident," said Squall composing himself. He left out the part where his father crashed into him with a head-on collision, "he's gone…" Squall reaffirmed.

"…Oh, I see." said Sis. She was probably thinking about how ironic it was that both her parents died in car accidents.

It takes a moment for bad news to finally click. For Ellone, it took a minute. She started weeping afterwards. Squall could feel her agony even though he was miles away from her. He couldn't help but shed a tear since his sister was crying a rainstorm. Luckily, he was starting to accept his father's death. He had cried enough already. It was easier to accept now.

"Sq…ua…ll…" she mumbled in parts. "what-do-we-do-now?" She asked the last question in a quick sprint.

"I don't know…" answered Squall. That was probably his most preferred response, but this time he really didn't know.

"What…are _you_…going to do…now?" she asked trying to hush her sobs.

And yet again, "I don't know."

An understood silence. There was nothing else to say. Both brother and sister were thinking in this understood silence..

"You can't take care of yourself," she suddenly blurted.

"What!" asked Squall confused.

"You're only seventeen…"

Now Squall was getting a little angry.

"What are you exactly implying!" asked Squall.

"I need to go back to Balamb," replied Sis, "you're not an adult yet. Someone needs full custody over you, and it's not going to be some foster parent!"

_Oh yeah… I guess I forgot…_

"I can just hide or something," retorted Squall without thinking, "what about your college? What about your_ future_?" He thought that question out.

"And what about _yours?_" probed Sis renewed "I'll transfer to somewhere near Balamb; it should be fine. I'll be there, and you can't stop me."

"Whatever," replied Squall.

"Bye."

She hung up. Squall placed his cell in his pocket. He slipped into his familiar shoes. Then he exited the door in mid-stride, preparing himself to see Rinoa once more.

---

"Her condition is not good," confirmed Dr. Kadowaki forlornly, "but she'll live. If she wakes up, she may suffer some amnesia. However, our first goal is that she would wake up. I will do my best to help your daughter." 

Zack eyed the amicable looking woman. She was trying her best to comfort them. She was a good doctor.

"Thanks doctor," replied Dad thinking the same, "thanks for all your help."

"I hope she feels better…" said Dr. Kadowaki, "…Mr. Caraway."

Zack now was looking at his comatose sister. No, sleeping sister. She was sleeping. She was not in a coma. She was okay. She was going to live, the doctor said so.

"What now, dad?" asked Zack, "what now?" he repeated once more.

"We wait until she wakes up." responded Dad.

Zack stared at his sister's lifeless body lying on the bed. He then brought his eyes upon his dad moved towards the window. Dr. Kadowaki exited the room when she realized that she was not needed anymore. The door soundlessly shut, as if it didn't shut at all.

_Hey sister, please wake up. You can see Dad dying on the inside. He's probably thinking that he's about to lose the only woman in the house. Yes, you're a woman now. I think you've almost taken mom's place. You've done so much to bring us all together. Now, we need you. _

Then Zack thought of his encounter with Squall earlier. He had never seen Squall look so dejected before. He wondered if Squall was still there seated at the chair in the lounge.

_And Squall, he needs you too. Please wake up soon._

Rinoa had company with her, but she didn't know it. Her family was there, and like all families, they'll always be there.

---

Squall entered the hospital with deep breaths. Another run that felt shorter than a second. His plan succeeded- he didn't sweat. He purposely ran a little slower than usual to prevent himself from perspiring armpits. Those were the worst. They smelt the worst too. 

However, his deodorant worked like a charm. Squall Leonhart smelt better than those perfume samples that came in magazines.

The reception lady greeted him. She already recognized him since he had stayed at the lounge for the longest time. Squall noticed that her nose tingled like a bunny's. Was she noticing his remarkable scent?

"Hi, it's okay that I see Ms. Heartilly now," asked Squall ignoring her sniffling nose, "right?"

"Sure," responded the reception lady. She stopped sniffing and now smiled. "I trust you know where it is already."

"Yes," replied Squall, "thanks."

"Oh and," went the reception lady, "if you might need anything, give me a call."

She winked at Squall and gave him a card. Squall took it that she was being friendly since she knew that he was going through a lot. He grabbed the card with shaky fingers and thanked her quietly.

_Just a little too friendly, but whatever. I'll call you if there are any problems with Rinoa's room or something of that sort._

Then Squall wondered about his future.

_If Rinoa were to never wake up, would I move on? If another girl or woman or whatever was hitting on me, how would I respond? _

He mentally slapped himself for thinking of such stupidity.

_I'll never leave Rinoa, no matter what. Even if the prettiest woman in the world appeared to me, I would shun her away. Rinoa is prettier than prettiest. _

Squall walked to the room inscribed with the notice that read, "**Patient:** Rinoa Heartilly, **Age:** 17, **Gender:** Female, **Blood Type:** _Needs Remediation_."

…_Needs Remediation? What's that supposed to mean?_

He knocked lightly. Surprisingly, the door opened immediately afterward. It must be a nurse or something.

Instead, Zack answered it. He viewed Squall with casual eyes and equally casual gestures. A casual wave, a casual _everything_. So casual that it made Squall sick. Was causality the way Zack coped with pain?

"What's up?" asked Zack _casually_.

"Hey," responded Squall the same.

There was a pause, a stilled era of quietness like the dark ages.

_I wonder what I should say now… This is getting a bit awkward even for me…_

"How is she?" asked Squall finally.

"Okay, I guess." replied Zack immediately, "Doctor says that she might wake up anytime, so that's a good thing. I just hope it's soon."

"I see," said Squall. Then he paused before he asked, "do you think I could come in?"

"Sure,"

When Squall entered, he found that Mr. Caraway was looking out the window. Squall realized that Rinoa's dad did not even acknowledge his existence, but merely continued to stare out into the horizon of the sky.

_Wonder what you're up to…old man. Thinking in your little world? I guess when people face misfortune, they start to act like me… Wait, stupid Squall, Rinoa lost her mom, remember? So many tragedies in this world._

Rinoa was in the bed, changed into the hospital attire. She looked a little better, but that was because the doctors must have cleaned her up. She had a heartbeat, and it made a constant beeping noise.

_Rinoa, it's nice to see you again. I just wish that you could see me too…_

Then Squall, for once, initiated conversation with Mr. Caraway.

"Hello, sir."

The tragedy-stricken man turned around and looked directly at Squall.

"Hey there, Squall," replied Mr. Caraway.

"I just wanted to stop by and see Rinoa, that's all…" continued Squall respectfully, "I didn't mean to intrude in family matters or anything…"

"Oh, don't worry about it," reassured Mr. Caraway with a faint smile. He looked like the life was drained out of him. Well in a way, his life _was_ drained out from him or taken away from him, at least. "You're not intruding, son."

"Thank you, sir." Squall was returning the formalities.

Squall sat down on seat next to Rinoa, while her dad went back to the window. Zack was sleeping with his head on the table.

_So, I wonder… what do I do now, Rinoa? I'm in a room with your dad and brother. I can't really talk to you out loud right now… I can still look at you, at least…_

And that's what Squall did, he studied Rinoa's facial features. Her closed eyes looked like she was gently floating in a pleasant dream, but at the same time, she looked like she was running away from that monster that constantly changed forms. Her mouth was curved neither in smile nor frown. Unreadable facial expressions that _even _rivaled Squall's.

"So you enjoy looking at my daughter?"

The question frightened Squall at first due to the suddenness of it. Then he calmed down.

"I guess…" confessed Squall shyly, "she's awfully pretty…"

"You're right about that, son." replied Mr. Caraway, "Honestly, I can't help but get angry at you for what you did."

_Here it comes…the "it's all your fault" speech… I'm ready for you, big guy…_

"…But, I'm wrong," said Mr. Caraway, "accidents happen, and it's quite unfortunate that your father was the one to run into you. If it wasn't for your father, I would have your head now, kid, since you did this to my daughter. Yet, I still hope you get over your heartbreak as I get over mine."

"Sir, I take all responsibility for what happened." said Squall somewhat scared, "I'll do everything in my power to help Rinoa."

"Like what?" questioned Mr. Caraway, "what can you really do?"

"I'll be here waiting for her," said Squall, "I'll be there when she wakes up because… I _love_ her. If there's anything I can do for you, just ask. I can run your errands… I'm totally at your command."

"You're at _my _command? And you love her, eh? Do you desperately seek my approval?" Mr. Caraway gave a lively smirk after what Squall had just said. "You're funny, boy. Real funny. Young love, so passionate. I remember what it was like."

_He's going to tell me about his wife._

Mr. Caraway had read Squall's facial expressions just like the countless times Squall did. Mr. Caraway realized that perhaps Squall should not hear the story of how he had despaired over his wife, Julia.

"I'll tell you about my story some other time, Squall." said Mr. Caraway, "but I'm going to go eat. You better take good care of my daughter. I expect her to be okay until I come back. That's my little _errand _for you."

"Yes sir." replied Squall professionally.

Mr. Caraway left the window and approached the table with the sleeping Zack.

"Wake up Zack," said Mr. Caraway gently, "let's get something to eat."

"Okay," Zack said groggily.

He wasn't that bad. He wasn't that bad at all.

This is what both of these men thought of each other.

---

**Author's Notes: **

**Lady-Rinoa14,** Sorry, I can't really read your story right now since I lost my internet connection... I'm on the school's computer submiting my stories currently...

**Nexus of Dark World,** I had to. Evil exists to make plots better. I updated, and thanks for mentioning that this story is excellent. This chapter wasn't that excellent on the other hand. Sorry, it'll pick up soon.

**Juwels21,** You may not like me, but I like _you_. Thanks for reviewing. Also, thanks for crying. I'm really, flattered… thanks.

**Serene Angel Wing,** I like your name first off- very fluffy. Yeah, I guess a lot of people liked the journal idea. Thanks for complimenting my writing even though my writing sucks on this chapter and this story. I'm glad that you're into this story so much to write a big review. Thanks. C:

**Squall Leonhart 501,** What does the 501 stand for? I'll try to update soon.

**Cerulean Crystal,** Yeah, it's kinda tragic that Squall had to figure out when it was already too late. Oh well. :D

**Luis,** Thanks for always reviewing. Also, there will be other "sweet" things in this story. Stay tuned.

**Stardust Ray,** Don't take a break; I like your reviews. Thanks for reviewing always though. I ditto everything you said ranging from Laguna's presence being there to Squall and Rinoa's super duper love. :D Glad you got the message out of it all. Once again, thanks for reviewing, and I enjoy your lengthy rambling reviews. Reviews are what keep me going sometimes…


	16. Rebirth

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 16: Rebirth

**A Quick Note: **Sorry about the delays. I wanted to perfect this chapter, but I guess I couldn't. I tried my best, and for those who read this- thanks a lot. I've been working on my other story too. I'm just a perfectionist at heart.

**Disclaimer: **I own Final Fantasy VIII, as in I have a copy of it. Square _literally _owns it, however.

---

A flustered Squall was waiting outside with impatience painted all over his face. He couldn't stand staying inside the house with no one home, so instead, he decided to enjoy the nice weather. He sat on his steps with the manner of a sloth. 

Spring was emerging out of her slumber. The trees were showing some life again; grass everywhere was starting to shoot out in record time; the previous barren flower field was blossoming with beauty; the world was filled with green again.

A calm breeze played with Squall's hair- giving him that tingling sensation that reminded him of love. Love was Rinoa. He was constantly reminded of her wherever he went.

He looked to the cerulean sky above him with eyes anticipating greatness. During his lifetime, he witnessed the white fluffy clouds form various shapes- a Chocobo, a Moomba, and even a tyrannical Ruby Dragon. Once he swore that the clouds formed Rinoa's silhouette. He was slightly excited to see what the clouds would form.

He searched among the clouds and was immediately disappointed. Not today. The sun was hiding behind fat mountains of clouds like a boy hiding behind his mommy. The clouds were just a chain of mountains that outlined the sky for miles and miles.

At least, humidity was at an all time low. He could actually breathe outside. Perfect weather to run, but he wasn't feeling it today. Maybe later.

Yes, the weather was perfect, but his situation wasn't.

_Where is Sis? _

He continued to hear cars go by the neighborhood. They zoomed by so quickly that the sounds they left behind were struggling to catch up. None of these cars stopped at his house. She would come out of a taxi, just like she said.

Squall then started thinking about Rinoa again. She still hadn't woken up yet, and Squall was still seeing her regularly. Even though only a week passed, Squall visited Rinoa everyday. He had skipped school that week because the school let him. They realized that he wasn't in the best condition to learn. He was deemed, "Psychologically unfit to appropriately learn, and therefore, is required to take a leave of a duration of one week to properly recover from traumatic experience(s) and/or other predicament(s)."

In other words, please leave.

So much for recovery- after each day he visited sleeping beauty, his desolation grew faster than Ebola. He was still clinging on to that last glimmer of hope, but slowly, he was losing grip. Soon he would fall away.

_Rinoa… I miss you._ _When will you come back? When will I see you again?_

…_Never? Will you stay like this forever? Is fate so cruel to take my dearly loved? …The only thing that's happened in my life that's had meaning? _

…_Alas, I will forever remember what you have taught me. I will cherish those times and look on towards the future. You have lit the path, and I will walk it. _

Squall was still looking at the sky- marveling at its innate grandeur until he heard a car stop in front of him. He brought his eyes upon his sister exiting the taxi; she quietly thanked the driver as she picked up her luggage.

She hadn't changed one bit since the last time he saw her. She came to him with a two bags obviously stuffed with all her belongings. It was miracle that all her stuff could fit in two bags, such a miracle that Squall wondered how she exactly did it.

"Hey Sis," greeted Squall.

"Hello, Squall." she answered. Sis hadn't changed one bit. She really didn't!

"How was the ride?" he asked.

"Awful, it was like sitting on a Cactuar." she laughed, "stupid, prickly taxi seats." She emphatically rubbed the hem of her dress to prove it.

"Still have the sense of humor, I see." Squall noted. He smiled like a kid pointing out the obvious.

"And _you _still have yours." Sis then pointed out. She was smiling just the same.

"Let's go inside," suggested Squall abruptly, "I don't need to be outside anymore… since you're here."

They went inside and settled in.

---

Ellone had entered the house, and it still looked the exact same. When she first saw Squall, she realized that he grew quite a bit. He was taller than her now. Ever since she went to college far away from home, she had simply forgotten what it was like to be back at _home. _

But a problem arose as unexpected as an unwanted pregnancy.

How could they afford to live at home now?

She couldn't pay the mortgage costs along with the bills coming from the utilities, electricity, water, and heat. She was in college. Squall was in high school. Their occupations comprised of being students. They didn't get salaries.

They would both have to get part-time jobs. They would have to work their butts off to pay for all this. Yet, could they do it?

She would do all the calculations later and then inform her little brother of their little problem.

_And father, I'm trying to do my best. I hope everything will turn out okay. _

Ellone always had a good relationship with her father. She was sad that Squall never did. Inside, she wept for Squall. He never figured out how wonderful their father really was. Then she wondered if she ever figured out either.

"You coming?" came Squall's voice from upstairs. "Your room's still pink, but I'm going to change that if you don't come soon."

"Yeah, I'm coming," responded Ellone, not taking him seriously. Squall always joked around her. "I'm just biding my time." _Thinking to myself of how to continue life. Stressing over more than my days in Theoretical Physics._

Ellone crept up the stairs observing the pictures she looked at pinned to the wall. As a child, she remembered that every time she went up the stairs, she would look at the pictures absorbedly.

_The same pictures too… _

She left the pictures and reached her room. Squall was sitting on the bed waiting for her to come. Yet, he didn't look impatient. His thoughts still entertained him- after all these years!

_He didn't do anything to the pink wallpaper either. I knew it!_

"Sis, after we put your things up, I want to show you something." said Squall with a tone that implicated seriousness. Why the sudden change?

Ellone had a sixth sense when it came to her brother. She knew him better than she knew the formulas that she learned in Calculus 201. She had studied those formulas for a blasted six hours a day for three weeks! However, she had known Squall for almost eighteen years now.

"Alright," replied Ellone returning the serious tone.

"It will be a surprise…" said Squall with a sudden hint of playfulness seasoning his voice, "I'll show you a little bit later, alright?"

"Okay," said Ellone. Then she became more curious than a cat. "Is it a good surprise?"

"Yeah, you'll be enthused." he responded, "come down in about thirty minutes. I need to get ready."

Ellone started unpacking her things while Squall left the room to give her some time. She sorted all her clothes out and folded them neatly in her old drawers. While she was doing all this, she couldn't help but wonder what Squall's surprise was.

_I wonder what Squall's trying to pull. I've never seen Squall like this before… even when we were young._

She was filled with the same anticipation a child has when she's just about to meet Santa Clause. She didn't know what to expect. Ellone wanted to go down now, but she still had a little bit left to unpack. She always had to finish _everything_.

"Okay, done!" exclaimed Ellone to herself.

She looked at the clock with quick eyes and found out that she used exactly thirty minutes! Perfect.

She darted down than the stairs faster than a kid did when there was bacon, eggs, and biscuits for breakfast. But there was an obstruction. Squall's backpack blocked her path mischievously almost. She flew over it like how a track enthusiast flew over a hurdle. Finally, when she reached the end of the stairs, her race was finished. Squall was in the living room, awaiting her. He was lounging on the couch with some pictures on his lap.

"I'm here," said Ellone while catching her breath. "I finished unpacking, and let's see the surprise, little brother."

"Okay," said Squall quietly, "here it is."

He held out a stack of pictures like how a kid held out his best yoyo. He held it out with dignity, proud to have those pictures.

_So the surprise is a bunch of pictures? What's so good about pictures? Right, the importance will obviously be shown when I **look **at the pictures. So why don't you?_

Ellone found herself looking into a vault of treasure she never thought existed. Squall was _happy_ in these pictures.

There was a very pretty girl in the pictures with him. She was holding his hand in one picture right next to a mammoth tree. It looked like Squall had just finished a meet in that picture since he was wearing his racing uniform. They were producing smiles that complemented each other well. The girl was smiling faintly while Squall was displaying his pearly whites through a rare grin.

Another picture had the pretty girl in the distance picking out a lonesome flower among a myriad of them. They were at a flower field, and it looked like the flower field stretched for miles. This girl didn't know that a picture was being taken of her. But then again, maybe she did. You never _really _know when someone is doing something real in a picture. They could be posing or pretending.

One picture was an odd school picture. The pretty girl must have not liked this picture, for the picture had a hilarious face drawn over the real face. The girl used a sharpie to draw a smiley face over her own! Ellone wished she could see if the picture really turned out bad, or if the girl was just overreacting. Maybe Squall kept it because he thought it was funny.

There were many others. Some were intimate, while some were humorous. She flipped over the next picture she saw, and there was a handwritten note behind it.

She realized that every picture had some kind of note behind it. Judging from the handwriting, she could tell that it was certainly Squall's. The first message she read declared, "Wow, you're beautiful."

As she read each note on the back of each picture, she realized that the messages grew mushier. They grew so mushy that Ellone had to stop reading them. She was a hopeless romantic at times, but this was _way_ too far.

_Squall's way in love. I never knew that he had it in him. My little brother is in over his heels. _

"And you're not embarrassed by any of this, little brother?" asked Ellone.

"Not really, I grew over the embarrassment." he said with the casual tone that she heard a million times. "I wanted to show you someone important… someone that I l—love." His voice cracked when he said: love.

"What's her name?" asked Ellone with the curiosity of a child listening in on her parents having a conversation over adult things.

"Rinoa…" he said softly, "Rinoa Heartilly." His eyes turned a certain way as if he was recalling something in the past, something _pleasant _in the past. Ellone never saw her brother like this before _ever_.

"Can I meet her in person?" asked Ellone.

There was a momentary pause. The pleasance on Squall's face disappeared and was replaced with the unreadable expression that was oh so familiar. He replied, "Sure."

He got up from his seat and carried his prized possessions with him.

"I'll give you a ride," said Squall, "on my bike. Kind of like old times, except now I'm pedaling."

Ellone was not the least bit scared, but she was curious once more.

"Are the tires pumped?" she asked with the mother's tone. "Do the brakes work well? I don't want to collapse or anything."

"They should be fine." Squall said reassuringly. "Let's just go."

"But where are we going?" asked Ellone.

"You'll see." replied Squall.

_Great, another surprise._

---

The wind was riding through Squall's hair as Squall was riding through the streets. He had to be careful, for his sister was positioned on the handlebars. She could dangerously fall if Squall was not paying attention. 

He was going to the hospital to show Sis what had become of his beloved, Rinoa. It was a tragedy that Ellone would have to meet her under comatose circumstances. Perhaps she would wake up today.

Yet, Ellone would get to see the person who changed his life. No, she would get to see the person who showed him what life was.

They were coasting down the sidewalk with Ellone grabbing onto the handlebars tightly. Squall's arms felt like they were about to break off, for holding his sister up was no easy task. When turning, he had to use the handlebars with added strength, or Ellone would fall right off.

_Just a few more minutes… just hang on, Squall… Don't think about your arms… Have to make sure she doesn't fall off._

"Are we almost there, Squall?" asked Ellone to the point, "Your face is getting blue… I hope I don't weigh too much."

"-It's f-fine…" Squall said with trouble. "Al-almost there…"

To Squall's favor, they were already there. If the hospital was a minute away, Squall surely would have needed to stop and rest. Yet, he endured. He put the bike on the rack and chained it up.

_What about when we go back home?_

Squall shuddered just at the thought of riding back home with his sister maiming his arms for life.

_She'll just have to ride back home on the bike. I'll just run back._

They entered the hospital with the automatic doors that opened as soon as they reached within the proximity of three feet- doors that welcomed them as flawlessly as human chattel.

The reception lady was situated at her desk as always. She had equipped on her face a fake smile that directly coincided with her fake persona.

"Hey Squall," she beamed with suffocating phoniness; it was worse than unnecessary perfume, "here to see Rinoa? Why yes of course… and you've brought someone with you, how lovely."

"Yeah, whatever." responded Squall perturbed, "bye."

He left before he could see the frown on her face. Ellone was wondering what that was all about.

"Squall," said Sis, "you should have been more polite."

"I don't like her," said Squall, "she scares me."

"Why?" asked Sis.

"That reception lady… she just gives me the creeps."

The conversation ended there. Ellone got the idea.

They walked past various rooms. They also walked past doctors that looked busier than honeybees in the spring. The anesthetic scent seemed to grow stronger as they walked deeper in the hospital. The smell unnerved him every time he noticed it.

Ellone took a leave of silence. She was wise to not question why they were at the hospital. Maybe she believed that they would see Father. But then, he would be at a morgue. She had the valuable intuition of when to speak up and when to remain quiet.

They approached the door with the sign that stated, "**Patient: **Rinoa Heartilly, **Age: **17, **Gender: **Female, **Blood Type:** _Special Case_."

"We're here, Sis." said Squall. "This is _her._"

"Okay," replied Ellone, clearly not understanding. She knew that Squall was about to spill out more information like how geysers spew out hot water.

Squall didn't open the door, but instead looked at Ellone with the intense seriousness of Odin. His eyes became slightly luminescent due to the tears he was holding back. This was it- the climax.

His voice cracked like an acoustic guitar string snapping while playing a sequence of harmonious chords, "She's in a c-c-coma because of m-m-me and dad. Dad-ran-onto her side and d-died on i-impact. It was the accident."

Squall became better at holding back the tears. He was so glad he didn't blow out and cry in front of his sister like old times. He couldn't stop his voice from cracking though. At least it was over, Ellone knew now.

"Let's go inside, little brother." said Sis.

They opened the door and stepped in. Sis went closer to get a good look her. Squall followed suit. Rinoa's body immediately jolted up into a sitting position.

"Didn't you say she was in a coma?"

_What? _

Rinoa was awake. Her once closed eyes were now opened again glowing with life. She must have just woken up beforehand.

She was looking at Squall and then at Sis. She looked confused. Her eyes were focusing in on Squall especially.

It was good to see her alive again. Squall never felt so happy in his life. Rinoa was _back._ All the days of mourning and waiting and now she was back. Squall could barely handle the excitement. It was seeping out of every crevice, pore, and hole in his body. He felt better than a homeless winning the lottery. He felt more excited than a kid about to open his birthday presents.

"Rinoa?" he said with barely concealed exhilaration.

An unreadable expression filled her face when he called her name. Squall didn't like the way she looked at him.

"Who are you?" she asked with an expression on her face that showed she clearly had no idea who he was.

Her face was blank. A fragment of the Rinoa he once knew. A shattered mirror with the pieces scattered all over the floor. That's why she seemed a bit weird when he first saw her awake.

It was happening again. That irony god brought him to the brink of happiness, to the very edge of the enlightenment experience, an inch away from the surface of the deep ocean- from air. Then he grabbed Squall to a rock bottom deeper than the one Squall previously escaped. Right when Squall was about to taste the fresh air of life, he was pulled down to drown away in oblivion.

He didn't know what to do, and he wanted to cry again and again.

Rinoa had forgotten him… Rinoa had lost her memories. Rinoa was _gone_.

---

**Author's Notes: **

Thanks for reading... Please review.


	17. Forgotten

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 17: Forgotten

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. Understand?

---

"Who are you?" 

_Who are you? Who are you? Who are **you**?_

The voice echoed in his head like sounds reverberating off cave walls. It unnerved him, bothered him, and made him concerned.

The words were worse than death.

"To be forgotten is worse than death." mentioned the Burmecian Dragoon solemnly. Squall knew _exactly_ what she meant now.

"Who are you?" asked Rinoa with a voice he couldn't recognize. The Rinoa he knew was gone. She died and left this shell behind her.

"I-I'm... Sq-Squall." He could barely finish a two worded sentence now. The trauma was registering into Squall's brain like a computer trying to register too much qualitative data while running all the necessary applications to keep it functional. The computer would freeze any second now. The motherboard would fry afterwards.

"...Hi, my name is Ellone." interjected Sis. For a second, Squall forgot his sister was in the room with him.

Rinoa's eyes moved to the ceiling. She was staring at it with the intensity of an eagle's glare. It looked like she was searching for something. Finally, she came back down to her visitors.

"...Hello." she responded, "my name is-"

"-Rinoa." finished Squall. "Your name is Rinoa. My name is Squall. I'm your boyfriend. You're my girlfriend. We liked each other. I took you out to places. You laughed, smiled, and made your eyes squint that certain way. We went to the library, out to eat at restaurants; out to the flower field- we went _anywhere _and _everywhere._ Now where is that Rinoa?"

First Rinoa seemed angry at the fact that she was interrupted. Then she gave a look of utter confusion. She looked more lost than a kid first entering high school.

"You don't remember?" asked Squall.

"...What are you talking about?" she asked. She shook her head. "What are you talking about?" She repeated over again.

"You don't remember?" asked Squall disbelieving. "How could you not flippin' remember?"

"...Remember?" asked Rinoa. "No, I don't remember a single thing. Is that a bad thing?"

_She's dead. My Rinoa is gone. How could this happen again? How could fate be so cruel? _

Squall was overcome with grief. He felt warmth dripping down his face profusely. He didn't care if he cried. He didn't care if his sister saw him in this state. He didn't care about his image whatsoever. He didn't care about _anything_. All he cared about was Rinoa, and that she forgot everything, including him.

"Rinoa..." sobbed Squall, "why? Why is this happening to me? Do the gods despise me so to do this? Am I only to be humor for their pleasure? Please, grant me my Rinoa, bring her back."

She looked at him with eyes drowned in misunderstanding. "I am here," she responded with the tone similar to a child. "I'm right here." She pointed to herself emphatically to prove her point. "There's no need to worry, for I'm right here."

An outburst shot forth like artillery, sophisticated Galbadian artillery. "No, I want _my _Rinoa."

He cried and cried like a fountain shooting forth water from a stone. He had thought life was getting better. He had felt like he was just climbing out of rock bottom. Suddenly he had fallen back in.

"...S-Sis," said Squall unsteadily.

With wobbly knees, he turned around and realized that she had left. She must have known that this was the time to leave him alone with his girlfriend. She could meet Rinoa later- well _this _Rinoa.

_Sis is gone. But more importantly, Rinoa is gone._

He cried once more with tears dropping freely. His sniffles filled the room almost in regular intervals. Rinoa was perplexed at the scene.

"Why are you crying so much?" asked Rinoa simply. "There is no need to cry, yet you do so."

He stopped and looked at her straight in the eyes. Those eyes, they were so childlike now. Innocence and naivety were reborn. She really had no idea. They appeared that way, but when Squall looked deeper, there was something else. He couldn't grab hold of that something else.

Would she ever get her memories back? Would she ever remember who he was? Would she know of all the times they spent together? Would she?

"Oh..." Squall replied, "I'm just, uh... never mind."

"You shouldn't keep that in," said Rinoa seriously, "it's not good for you."

_Huh? Sounds like something she would say. _

His sniffles came to a halt. "How would you know?"

She gave that confused look again, "...I-I don't know." she stammered. "It just seemed right to say so."

They sat in silence, looking at each other. Squall had nothing left to say. He was lost in his thoughts like old times.

He thought of all the times he spent time with Rinoa. He tried to think of things to ask Rinoa. Things that could prompt her memory back to rebirth. He couldn't think of a single question to ask. He was stuck in silence like a squirrel trapped in a snare. This time he _wanted _to say something.

It must have been decades before she hammered away the silence.

"So what do you exactly want, quiet dude?"

_I want my old Rinoa back. The one with all the memories. Not the one that calls me unfamiliar nicknames._

"You know, being quiet isn't a good thing," said Rinoa, "it's bad for you, you know."

_Didn't she already say something like this before?_

"And how would _you _know?" asked Squall again, making sure that he used the exact same words he uttered beforehand.

She gave the same puzzled look in response. A month ago, she would have smiled and giggled; now, she was just bamboozled.

"...I _don't_ know." she said. "Wait didn't I already say that? Hey, I remember that at least."

She smiled at her own joke. Squall didn't.

_It's like talking to a wall. And the pretty wallpaper would also have to be torn apart. No, it's like talking to a broken record. It keeps on repeating the same chord over and over again. _

"You have beautiful eyes." she said suddenly, interrupting his diagnostic thoughts.

_I wonder why she said that. She's full of surprises._

"Yours are prettier." Squall replied. He was actually quite shocked that she could make such assertions. Then more shocked that he would follow.

"Yeah, but yours seem sad right now." she said with a frown on her face. "I don't know why, but yours just seem sad."

Squall didn't answer. He remained as quiet as a mouse hidden in the grass. The snake was searching abroad.

"Have I seen your eyes before?" asked Rinoa contemplative. She was slithering around.

_Answer her. Just give her a straight out answer._

"Yes," said Squall, "you've just forgotten who I am."

"Oh really?" she asked. There was not even a hint of sorrow, but her voice was unusually peppy. "Forgotten? What does that mean?"

_She forgot the concept of forgetting. I'm in a situation here. _

"It means you don't remember things." said Squall.

"Remember?" she asked. "You said that word before. What does that mean?"

_Didn't you say that word already before? Now you're saying that you don't know what it means? Something isn't right here._

"It means-"

"I know what it means," interrupted Rinoa. "I know what all the words mean, Mr. Leonhart. I was just kidding around. I can't believe you took all of this seriously. The only thing I don't remember is you."

Squall's jaw dropped revealing his tonsils.

"I still have my memories. I just can't remember what's happened in the past year."

Rinoa smiled. "You actually believed I was just some stuttering idiot? That I could barely speak? That I could not understand your sweet soliloquy to the gods? The gods _have_ brought me back. You were wrong."

This was a different Rinoa. A malicious Rinoa.

"You're not the Rinoa I remember." replied Squall calmly. "She was everything you're not."

"That Rinoa is dead. The one you see here is the only one left. Stop moping about the old and get on with the new. Stop staying in the past. If you focus on the past too much then the present will slip away from you. There are so many aspects of life for you to experience, but so little time."

This Rinoa wasn't that different. She was still the same. Perhaps this was who Rinoa truly was. Without the blindfold of love, Rinoa acted this way.

"Why are you treating me this way?" asked Squall. "What have I done wrong to you?"

"You treated me like some little poor and helpless kid that couldn't find their mommy. I'm not helpless. I can take care of myself. You kinda attacked me too with all your outbursts of our supposed memories together. How do I know you're not just some sick freak that wants to take advantage of me?"

"You don't," responded Squall. "But I'm telling the truth, I really am."

Squall paused for a second and said, "I can see that you don't love me anymore."

"Maybe because I don't remember that I ever loved you?" said Rinoa. "Right now, you're just some stranger that started making bizarre claims. I can't just magically love you again, not that I ever did."

"No, you can't." affirmed Squall. "But I will try now as hard as ever. Remember or not, I still do love you and want you to be happy."

"Good, then make me happy by leaving." said Rinoa. "Get out."

Squall smiled slightly. Rinoa had changed him. Now he decided that he would change her. Somehow, he would win back the heart of Rinoa.

"Farewell dearest Rinoa."

He left the room with steps renewed with purpose. The gods threw him many curveballs, and now he knew how to hit them.

---

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for all the reviews. Sorry I haven't updated, but I've been busy in Korea. I'm working on lots of other stories as well. I'm planning them ahead before I write them.

**Jayliyah85,** Thanks for reviewing. I assure you that this story will end happily. Drat, now I promised a good ending. :

**Sakuya Rose,** Thanks for boosting my ego by calling me a great author. I'm trying to write better, and that's all there is to it. I'll have to read your stories.

**FFLOVeR,** I heart the way you type. Updated.

**Lady in Blue,** Thanks. I just try to cram in as much imagery as possible. I guess it sometimes works. The blood type on the otherhand. I don't know. I just felt like putting that there. Probably to mess around with Rinoa. She was a sorceress in the game, so I wanted to make some kind of spoof. Wasn't really creative. Wasn't funny. Wasn't worthwhile. At least you mentioned it. Now that I think of it, it's a good way to see who's _really_ reading my stories indepthly.

**Dramatic-Maniac,** I'm getting this giddy feeling in my stomach when you say that I have fans. Thanks. I depend on your support more than you can imagine.

**Lady-Rinoa14,** I'm glad to see you're still reading my story (if you could call it one). Thanks.

**Ashley125,** Glad to have another reader.

**Cerulean Crystal,** I have more. Thanks alot for all your helpful reviews from before.

**Luis,** Squall will become poorer as the story progresses.

**Rinny Leonheart,** I looked back at my old reviews and realized that long ago, you were a faithful reader of mine. After the long break, I'm glad to see that you're still reading. Thanks a bunch.

**Stardust Ray,** Thanks for always being there as well. I'll read your stories.


	18. Rape

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 18: Rape

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy VIII. I own the plot. I own you.

---  


How dare he just come in here and say those things. Who does he think he is?

_He's no one; he is no one to me. _

_I should just forget him now. Pathetic, he thought I forgot how to even speak! That Leonhart needs to just get a life. His mother should have raised him up more properly; he speaks his emotions more easily than me! So talkative. _

"So talkative," said Rinoa out loud. "But I can't just forget him for some reason."

_But he wasn't just some freak. He really meant it. That insane glee wasn't imprinted in his eyes. He didn't look like a rapist or anything. Maybe he did love me._

_Even if he did, it wasn't worth it. Since I forgot all about him, maybe it wasn't a love worth remembering. _

_Yeah that's it. Just forget about that weird dude. _

Rinoa sat on her bed for a few more moments until she heard the door open. The fat female doctor that interviewed her a few hours ago came out. The fat doctor ran some tests on her then. The fat doctor had told her that April had just started. Rinoa had first thought it was May.

Rinoa's dad and Zack came out too. Immediately, surprise covered their faces like how a room can change from dark to light with one flick of a switch.

"Glad to see you're doing well, Rinoa." said the doctor. Rinoa read the doctor's nametag. It was inscribed, "Dr. Kadowaki." It should have read, "The fat doctor."

"She's not doing so well doctor," said Zack. "She couldn't even remember Squall."

_Leonhart? So he really was my boyfriend? _

"Yeah, I never saw the boy look that way." said Dad. "He told us that Rinoa had completely forgotten him. Tragic. But he seemed better than ever. He walked out of the hospital with steps bolder than his words."

_I don't care about Leonhart. Just shut up about him._

"Forget Squall," said Zack, unknowing granting Rinoa's unspoken request and at the same time making Rinoa wish for a new one. Zack directed his vision towards Rinoa. "How are you doing, big sister?"

"I feel okay," said Rinoa. "Are we at Deling Hospital?"

"Heavens no!" cried the fat doctor. "You're in Balamb."

"Balamb?" said Rinoa confused, "what am I doing at these backwaters?"

"We moved in July," said Dad. "Don't you remember?"

"Oh yeah, we were thinking of moving, but we didn't know where we were going." said Rinoa. "So we ended up choosing Balamb?"

Dad turned to the fat doctor. He had a sense of worry on his face. "So how bad is it doctor?"

"Just a mild case of amnesia." said the fat doctor. "In cases such as these, she's lucky just to have a mild case. The way the accident happened, I don't see how she didn't forget everything."

_What? So I could have been some vegetable? Was this accident really that bad? Maybe that's why Leonhart treated me the way he did._

"Rinoa, so can you remember before the move?" asked Dad.

"Yes," answered the fat doctor for Rinoa. "Her short-term memory has been affected to a sense where she won't fully remember anything that has happened in the past year. We ran some tests on her when she was in her coma. She had a 40 chance of waking up. If she woke up, she had a 20 chance of encountering no problems, a 20 chance of mild amnesia, and a 60 chance of forgetting everything."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" asked Dad with a frown on his face.

"We usually don't tell our clients this information, but your case is a special one. Depending on the percentages, this mild amnesia may wear off from a few months to a few years. For example, if she had an 80 chance of forgetting everything and a 10 of no problems then the mild amnesia could have taken longer to wear off. So your daughter lucked out. I'm encouraging you right now."

"Okay." said Dad. "I see what you mean. Glad you didn't hold in just so you wouldn't disappoint me."

"You're welcome." said the fat doctor with a smile.

"Can I go home now?" asked Rinoa. She then winced, realizing that home was a different place now. "I mean, can I get out of this hospital."

"As soon as I tell your dad more about your condition."

The fat doctor walked outside with Dad. Zack was left inside with a laying Rinoa.

"Wake me up when we're about to leave." said Rinoa before closing her eyes.

--- 

A few days had gone by, and Squall had not seen Rinoa ever since the fated day of her awakening. He was no longer in school, but now he was working a fast-food joint to pay the bills. His sister was keeping up all the legalities for the mortgage. She was attending the humble Balamb Community College now which contrasted quite well to the notorious Esthar University. Sis was working at the dusty bookstore _Balamb's Greatest_ during her free time.

Squall didn't have to work the weekends. Today was a weekend. Therefore, Squall had time to spend with Rinoa, well time to spend _pondering _about Rinoa.

_I wonder what she's doing. No, I wonder **how **she's doing._

He dug through his father's old journal, wandering how his father did it.

_"I'm holding on Raine, holding onto the memories we made together. That's how I can spend time with you- through these memories."_

"Thanks Father," said Squall. "I thank you."

Squall smiled. The memories that they made together would sustain him. For once, being lost in his thoughts was a good thing.

How beautiful her face was. An angel lost its wings every time Rinoa smiled. They wanted to come to earth just to see Rinoa face to face. Her eyes, they gleamed of hope- no matter how many tears dropped, the rays of hope seared through.

Squall remembered those eyes, and they gave him hope.

Her words, they encouraged him. His words, they always cut down, demoralizing people before even finishing sentences. He would be like her, making his sentences build up strong columns of self-assurance to the people around him, good or bad.

_"I…care for you, Squall."_

_"I don't know why you look so worried… I like it."_

_"I love you. I love you. And... I love you!"_

Rinoa's countless words built up a storehouse of encouragement even when she could no longer utter the same ones. Squall looked to this as an opportunity, not a bad circumstance.

He would hear her words again...on the phone.

"Hello," said Mr. Caraway.

"Hello sir, this is Squall Leonhart... could I speak to Rinoa, please?"

"Sure, just one second."

On the line, Squall could hear a distant yell, "Rinoa, telephone!" The line skipped around, signifying that someone was struggling to pick up the phone. Did she already know?

"Hello, Mr. Leonhart," said Rinoa groggily.

"Hello, Rinoa."

"Look, if this isn't important then I'll hang up."

Like various times, silence hung in the air. Even if words were said, silence would eat those words up before a sound was made.

"Bye." she said and then hung up immediately.

_That's not the way it was supposed to go. _

He dialed the number again, and this time he had words to say.

"Hello?" asked Rinoa. "This better not be you, Mr. Leonhart."

"No, I simply go by Squall. I'm not old enough to be called a mister yet."

"Mr. Leonhart, I can continue to annoy you by continuing my pursuit for politeness. And then discuss why I do so to people like _you._ Or I can hang up."

"How about the third choice?"

"There is no third choice, Mr. Leonhart."

"Oh yes there is, Ms. Heartilly. The third choice is: For the next two days, I get to spend time with you. I'll ask your father for permission, of course."

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

"Sure, if that's what you want to call it."

"And if I refuse, which I _will._"

"Then I'll pester you through the phone, your doorbell, your mail, and any other way I can brainstorm."

"So you'll stalk me, you freak?"

"If that's what you want to call it. Of course, when I _pester _you, I'll only ask if you could speak to me like times like these. Or, I'll declare my magnanimous love for you in the most creative ways I can think of. I'll embarrass you."

"I'll call the cops on you. They'll help me get rid of freaks like you."

"The cops already know of this twisted comedy the gods have placed in my life. The cops know who I am and are afraid of me."

"Why would they be afraid of a boy who's afraid to be addressed as a man?"

"Because, I _am_ a cop."

"Nonsense, you are no cop. You serve the noble purpose of heightening the high cholesterol statistics in middle-aged men."

"Ah, so you _have _been paying attention to me."

"Just a little since I'm curious."

"If you refuse, there's nothing I can really do, Rinoa. Look, if you spend these last two days with me, I'll never bother you again."

"What if you molest me these last two days?"

"Then don't come."

"Fine, I'll come."

"Why?"

"Because I'm curious to see who you really are. Because no one would be this desperate just to rape someone."

"Haha, very funny, Ms. Heartilly."

"You call me Rinoa and Ms. Heartilly... make up your mind."

"Okay, I'll call you, Beautiful. Sound good?"

"Sounds cheesier than macaroni."

"Okay, Beautiful, I'll pick you up on my ride."

"Don't you need to ask my dad for permission?"

"I asked him a long time ago. He said that I could take you out anytime now. Your father trusts me even though the accident was my fault."

"I never knew my father could be so understanding, I mean stupid."

"You're missing a year of memories where you both matured."

"Goodbye, _Squall._"

"Goodbye, Beautiful."

He hung up the phone and felt like he won first place at the national track meet. Still, Squall was himself. He was enraptured with happiness inside his mind, mentally jumping up and down like a chibi figure.

In reality, he was pumping his bike tires, testing the brakes, and making sure that he brought two helmets and some protective gear. He positioned a makeshift seat on the back of the bike since earlier he took Sis with the handlebars. He wouldn't risk anything this time, even though he was taking the cyclist's lane. He wouldn't want Rinoa to fall off the handlebars.

He carried his wallet on him. His pictures of Rinoa where in there. They would provide some points of interest later.

--- 

She was dressed in simple jeans and a plain shirt. Why dress fancy with a bike? Supposedly, the accident caused Squall's car to be totaled, so his ride would probably not be a car. He couldn't afford a motorcycle, or she didn't believe that he could afford one. What's left was a bike.

She was waiting outside, the sun was shining, and the clouds were forming objects above. She carefully looked up, trying to discover if any of the clouds formed anything interesting.

Instead, she saw two songbirds flying together, chirping happily. They flittered across trees, pecked at each other, performed courtship, and then flittered again. They looked so... _happy._

Why did she not feel happy? Those missing memories, that's why. They really must have been important. She felt emptier than a bum without alcohol.

She looked back down and saw that Squall had already arrived, soundlessly with a gaudy looking bike. She was right; he did take a bike. Also he carried another helmet and some pads for her to wear.

Squall walked right next to her without saying a word, opened the front door, yelled, "See you later, Pops." And then a response, "Have a good time, sonny."

He got on the bike, motioned for Rinoa to ride on the back, where her butt would be aching from the poor makeshift seat. Rinoa raised an eyebrow.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"No, I'm not. You'll have the time of your life." said Squall, "We'll only ride a little bit, trust me."

"Apparently, the last time I trusted you, you almost got me killed." she spat vehemently.

"Yes, but this time, if something happens, I'll die with you."

"Whatever," she said, copying his trademark phrase without even realizing it.

Squall smiled slightly, "Yeah, whatever."

She put the helmet on her head and the pads on her elbows and knees. Then she climbed onto the makeshift seat and miraculously realized that it _didn't _hurt her butt.

Squall pedaled his way out of the neighborhood.

"So where are we going, Mr. Leo- I mean, Squall."

"We're going to paradise." whispered Squall while pedaling loudly.

"Where?" she asked. She didn't hear him.

"You'll see."

"Okay... a surprise." she murmured. "If you're taking me to a dark alleyw-"

"Then it will be for the sake of helping out the poor homeless people that live there." interrupted Squall. "I'm loaded."

"No you're not," Rinoa responded, "you run fast-food."

"Yeah, I'm curious on how you figured that out," mentioned Squall, "maybe you're the stalker."

"No, I just wanted information about you, so I asked Zack."

"A start at least."

They stopped at the side of the road. From where they stopped, it looked like they were going into a deep forest.

"Now, I'm really scared, Mr. Leonhart." she said seriously. "Y-you brought me here to r-rape me in the for-forest?"

"Dear Hyne no!" almost yelled Squall. "My name is Squall, not Mr. Leonhart, and I came here to show you somewhere we went to a long time ago. Our secret piece of heaven we enjoyed."

"Did we _do _it there?"

"No, I'm a virgin, Rinoa." groaned Squall. "We never did anything like that, nor do I plan to."

"Yeah right." retorted Rinoa.

"Seriously," replied Squall, "I was waiting for you... until we got married or something."

"Really?" said Rinoa. "You thought of marriage?"

"Sometimes."

"Okay for some reason, I trust you, but man, you would be the perfect rapist." blurted Rinoa.

Squall groaned some more. They started walking in the woods. It seemed like hours they were in the woods. Rinoa was getting worried about if Squall was just going deeper to rape her when no one would hear her desperate screams.

She took her belt off and put it in her pocket. If he were to attack, she would strangle him.

"So, Squall... this is taking some time, and I'm starting to wonder why we're going through these woods."

"Because of this..." replied Squall.

Rinoa's eyes widened to the size of golf balls. She could see a clearing, and a marvelous field of flowers awaited her. The petals were being carried by the wind like a sweet song being sung. The fragrance of the flowers overwhelmed her sense of smell. Good thing she wasn't allergic to pollen.

There was a small hill with a tree overlooking the field. They were walking towards it. Squall was smiling like he won the spelling bee.

The only thing Rinoa could say was, "Whoa."

"Yeah, I know." replied Squall with a smirk.

"So this was where we hung out?" asked Rinoa.

"Yeah, sometimes." said Squall.

"We're going to sit under that tree on the hill?" asked Rinoa, remarkably curious.

"Yeah."

They climbed the hill and sat down at the trunk. Rinoa noticed that Squall was just looking at the flowers with a dreamy expression on his face.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Rinoa.

"You."

That shut her up real good before she asked again, "what about me?"

"The times we spent here." he responded shortly.

"So what exactly did we do here?" she asked.

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "We talked about a lot of things. This is where I opened up to you."

"Opened up? What do you mean? You seem pretty talkative."

"I wasn't always like that. I was never really a talker. I only talked when necessary. But the first day of school, I met you, and I changed."

"...Really?"

"Yeah."

"What did I do?" she asked.

"You did the same thing I'm doing to you now."

She thought a moment about that. What was he doing?

_He's spending time with me, so I can get to know him again. _

"Oh, so I spent time with you? You got to know me?"

"Yeah."

Rinoa looked to her left and found a road. She squinted to see if she could recognize the road.

"Hey, is that road close to my house?" she asked.

"Yeah, I just took the long way to see if you trusted me." Squall smirked.

"Stupid, I actually thought you were going to hurt me." she mumbled.

She flicked a strand of hair away from her face. The wind was playing with her hair. She stared at Squall wildly almost, wondering what he was going to do next.

"It's your move, cowboy." said Rinoa. "Impress me."

"Okay."

Squall reached into the back of his jeans and pulled out something. It was his wallet.

"You're impressing me with your wallet?" asked Rinoa skeptically.

"Look at all the wealth I could have given to the homeless," said Squall.

Her eyes widened to the size of golf balls, again. Pictures! She saw various pictures of her in his wallet. So this really was her boyfriend.

There was a picture of them standing next to a huge tree, they looked happy- _she _looked happy. Her school picture was also there. She found a picture of her at the same flower field picking a flower. There were many.

"Impressed?" asked Squall. "They would have seen true love on a 2D plane."

"I-I'm sh-shocked." she whispered.

She looked at them again and again. Never letting go of them. She held onto them with the grip of a baby holding onto her mother's finger.

"Now that I think about it, you probably have some pictures in your room." said Squall scratching his head.

"I haven't been up in my room yet." said Rinoa. "I've been hanging out in the living room this whole time, sleeping there too. I... I was scared to go up there and see how much I've changed."

"I see."

"Maybe, I'll go up there today."

"Take your time. Don't rush." said Squall. "We have all the time in the world."

For the first time, Rinoa decided that she could smile to this Squall character. He wasn't that bad after all. So she smiled.

--- 

**Author's Notes: **

Man that felt good writing that. Only took me two days! I feel good.

**IrisfromWinhill,** Thanks for reviewing my story. Please critique this story as well. I need your advice.

**tw3akedd0wn,** Dude, thanks for all your input. As I have critiqued your story, now I need you to do the same. Help me in my quest to make this piece of crap flush down the toilet... or help me finish this story!

**Dramatic-Maniac,** Thanks for reviewing, faithful reviewer. Rinoa's kind of mean,but she'll get better. Oh yeah, and what am I doing to the perfect couple? Bringing them back together of course! I promise. ;)

**Ashley125,** Yes, Squall is poor. He'll be happy soon.

**Luis,** I have updated. I hope you're happy. I want to thank you for being such a faithful reviewer. Your reviews along with the others keep me going. Thank you!

**Man,** you rock. That little confusion was cleared away, so just wanted to say thanks for your review. Man, you seriously stroked my ego spot when you first reviewed me. I hope this chapter isn't a waste of your reading. Peace out.


	19. Days Go By And Still I Think Of You

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 19: Days Go By And Still I Think Of You

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Final Fantasy VIII, nor do I own the title of this chapter. It comes from that Dirty Vegas song _Days Go By_. Also, I do not own the ingenius franchise known to make the infamous _post-it _note. I basically don't own anything, except you. pwnt/10.

---

The next date was decided to be held the next day at around eight at night, a Sunday evening held under the stars. Squall wanted to see her eyes glow the way the sky did.

He decided that he would bring her to the flower field again since she showed it to him at night the very first time they shared the grass under the grinning moon. Yes, it seemed redundant, but he couldn't take her to the library since his only ride was the rusty bike.

Still, the flower field was a whole different place when night enveloped the sky. No longer would the blue sky and clouds waltz together, but the moon and stars would silently share their share of stories. From the valorous Odin's Sword pointed directly at the sneering Tonberry's Heart to the lighthearted Moogle Trio playing their flutes, the stars would bring these creatures to life. Ancient constellations could sometimes prove better than a dinner and a movie. Squall was hoping that today would be that day.

Boy was he wrong.

He parked his bike to the side of the road for rest. He pulled out his water bottle and drank until thirst was no longer a word in his thoughts. Then he pulled out his cellphone and called Rinoa.

"Yeah Squall?" she answered.

"Be ready in twenty minutes, I'm almost there." he told her.

"Yeah, but what should I wear?" she asked, "And where are we going?"

"Wear something warm, and we're going to the flower field again."

She paused for a second before she answered almost rudely, "Why are we going _there _again? You could have taken me to some other places. We _did _go to other places right?"

Guilt rushed in as he responded, "All I have is my bike, so I couldn't take you anywhere far. Plus, it's a whole different place at night."

"Okay, but don't think these two days mean anything." she finished uncouthly. Then she hung up almost immediately afterwards.

_Does she always have to act like this? _

He got back on his bike and pedaled onwards.

His thoughts roamed through the various random things that made Squall a convoluted soul. Instead of thinking of only Rinoa, he pondered of the complexities of life, why trees continued to live even though their leaves were shed by autumn, why the roads used yellow to mark the lanes, why the sky was blue when it could have easily been another color, why he thought of stupid things like this rather than talk to people about them, why even bother with Rinoa, why go the distance when she doesn't even care. Why?

_Why even bother?_

He turned right to her subdivision. He could see her house on top of the hill, urging Squall to come closer.

When he reached the driveway, he dropped the bike and ran up to the front door.

He wondered if he should knock softly or push the doorbell so the whole world could hear. The whole world was just her brother and _Him_. Squall rang the doorbell, knowing that _He _wouldn't care.

A few moments later, the door opened, revealing a sullen Rinoa.

"Alright, let's go." he said cheerfully.

Her eyes flashed with vigor. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"Squall, today I don't feel like going..." she said steadily. "I need my time, and not even _you _are going to stop that. I don't care if you stalk me forever since I didn't go out with you for this very last time. Even though it was nice yesterday, I want to find myself... on my _own_."

Squall knew what she was talking about, for he experienced the same thing at one point in his life. He felt like arguing, but this was a woman he was dealing with.

"Rinoa, I'll call you back, okay?"

She shut the door in his face in response.

---

The next day, he thought he would give it a go again. After washing dishes, cleaning tables, and sweeping floors, Squall exited his personal hell to enter salvation. He had to help pay the bills somehow. 

He entered his house with an aching body. Nevertheless, he pulled out his cell phone with eager hands. He contemplated for a moment about what to say to the remote piece of paradise he wanted to grab, but then decided against it. He would wing it like an airplane gliding across thermals.

"Hello?" answered Rinoa from the phone.

"Hey," he said without thinking, "it's Squall."

"Yeah, I know," she said quietly, "I recognize your voice."

"I want you to recognize more," responded Squall boldly.

He scratched his head due to the nervousness he was experiencing. He felt like he was plunging into a dark abyss, an unknown destination. Would he get out? Would he find light? Why was he so nervous? Maybe it just wasn't in him to be romantic all the time. He needed time to recharge too.

"So want to go out somewhere? Maybe get a drink and ea-"

"-Look, it's like you're going to quick, I think." interrupted Rinoa. "Remember what I said yesterday? So just give me some time."

He didn't know how to answer that question. He felt so confident before when he confronted her through the phone on Saturday and finally brought her to his place of reverie. How come he was fidgeting now? Because of yesterday and his encounter with her. The way she just shut the door in his face. He was losing her now.

"...How much time do you think you'll need?" asked Squall, gripping the phone with intensity.

"I can't just tell you an amount of time, Squall Leonhart!" Her voice elevated just a little bit. A decibel more would be called yelling. He didn't want that.

"O-Okay..." he stammered.

Squall realized that this was one of those times where he might have to just leave Rinoa alone, perhaps for a _long _time. He thought of his next possible courses of action. He could talk to her more, but she would consider that pestering. He could hang up, but there would be no opportunities. He decided that he would ask her one more thing.

"So, what do you exactly want me to do?" asked Squall, making sure.

"Just give me some time," suggested Rinoa, "don't call me, please?"

_Don't call me? _

He would have rather sold his soul to the devil than hear those words. What did he do wrong? Saturday was so nice and pleasant. He could have sworn that Rinoa was warming up to him. She smiled at him for Hyne's sake! But Sunday, she wasn't feeling so good. He wondered where it went wrong.

_She needs time, that's all. Time to think, I used to be like that. I'm still like that too. But it seems like she's just making excuses. Rinoa has plenty of time to think at home, she just doesn't want to spend any of that time with me. _

"Whatever," he said coldly, "bye."

He hung up, but immediately his cellphone starting ringing again. He answered it without looking at the caller ID.

"Why'd you hang up so suddenly?" asked Rinoa. "Was it because I asked you not to call me?"

He paused a bit and recomposed himself before saying, "...Yeah."

"Why?" she asked, recognizing the disappointment in his voice. "Do you want to see me _that_ much?"

_Of course..._

There was silence between the two. Squall thought of the right words to say, but couldn't think of anything. He searched deep within the crags of his soul until he found what he was looking for. Subconsciously, he found the courage he was looking for too.

"It's because I love you, Rinoa Heartilly. Before, I was a barren wasteland, you were the gardener. You planted the seeds, and now, there's the fruit you sowed. I want to give you some so you can remember what it's like."

Squall could hear a pause, and perhaps maybe a sniffle.

"T-That's not me anymore," Rinoa almost whispered, "you need to accept me for who I am now."

"I do accept you for who you are," said Squall gently, "I just wanted to show you that I loved you. The same thing you did for me."

"W-Why do you always go back to the past!" she yelled with a high-pitched voice. "I want to live my own life in the present, not in the past!"

He paused for a moment. His eyes were filling with tears that tasted like despair. He could feel his breathing go disorderly. What was he to do?

_So do I just leave you alone? No, I'll continue to fight even when I don't want to._

"I'll show you that I love you, Rinoa Heartilly, just watch me. You lit the path, now I shall run it."

He hung up again, but this time, he felt satisfied.

He pulled out a pen and wrote a letter to Ellone. He wrote that she should go back to school, sell the house, and not worry about him anymore. He also told her that he would be out running.

---

The next day approached as slowly as the tortoise raced against the hare. Rinoa sat in her living room with an introspective look on her face. She was unusually quiet, thinking to herself of why she was so scared of going to the room. 

She didn't want to see how much she changed, so she told Squall. But now, she didn't know why she was afraid of going up there.

Angelo trotted along and placed herself in front of her quiet owner. She licked her foot a couple of times, trying to get Rinoa's attention.

"Okay, okay." she cooed. "Come here, girl."

Rinoa started petting Angelo between the ears, right where the dog would droop its tongue in ecstasy. Then Angelo toppled over which was the sign for the tummy treatment. Rinoa scratched and scratched until the dog murmured a couple of sighs. They almost sounded humanlike.

"You like that don't you?" she said with her _chirpy _voice.

Angelo barked softly in response.

All of a sudden, a voice echoed in her head. A voice she could have sworn she recognized, but at the same time sounded foreign. She did not anticipate this voice like how one conjures what thoughts to think. This one was spontaneous, coming from the deepest recesses of nowhere.

_"I wonder if I can actually make Squall happy one day..." the voice said distantly. "Look at Angelo, it's easy... All I have to do is pet her, and she's happy. Squall will be much harder."_

Where had that voice come from? Rinoa scratched her head in sheer curiosity, wondering to herself why the voice mentioned Squall. She never said those words before; at least she couldn't remember if she did.

Then it hit her like the way an arrow hits its target. When she started petting Angelo, a forgotten memory must have triggered. She was remembering, well kind of.

She didn't know whether to feel giddy or to feel reproach for these resurfacing memories. Did she _want _to know what her last year entailed?

Why was she so against it anyway? What was so wrong with discovering what had happened in the past? Why couldn't she just go up to her room right now and end the drama now. Because drama was fun... well not _fun_, but interesting.

In reality, she didn't want to be tied to whatever obligations she made during the period she forgot. She, in a way, wanted to start fresh, right where she left off in her cracked memories.

Still the voice echoed a majestic beckoning. She could go upstairs and find out more; perhaps the voice would appear again. There was something cool about hearing things out of the blue in her head.

Then she wondered if this was how Schizophrenics reasoned their supposed sagacity to themselves. If she was becoming one of them, she didn't mind. It was way too cool to just ignore or runaway from.

"Thanks Angelo." she remarked while walking up the stairs.

Every step she took up the flight of stairs brought upon a sense of fear and urgency. She was bombarded with an upheaval of mixed feelings by the time she reached the top. It felt like pieces of hail were hitting her on the top of her head, consecutively.

She looked around at the top, despite how much hesitation beleaguered her. She didn't know which room was supposedly hers since they're were a myriad of doors greeting her in grinning fashion.

However, she found one door colorfully emblazoned with, "Rinoa's Laguna of Paradise." They were other messages placed at the door. The message, "Beware of Dog," was strategically placed to humor those at the door. She remembered having one back at Deling City. There was another message, but she wasn't familiar with it. "Knock Before Entering," adorned the door with the vibrant colors of the rainbow. She frowned upon that message for she clearly remembered that at her old room, it was, "Don't Bother Me," and a, "This Means You!" with dark, stormy colors.

"This means I must have changed _a lot_." she said out loud.

An onslaught of uncertainty pummeled her mind, causing her to breathe excessively, almost to the point of hyperventilation. She forced herself to calm down by slowly rehearsing a nursery rhyme, "She sells sea shells by the sea shore."

With the rare serenity of the sea's waves, she placed her trembling hand at the doorknob and pulled. Then she realized she had to _turn _the knob first. She closed her eyes before she opened the door.

While she was seeing black she thought, _Maybe it would be a good time to open my eyes. But I'm too scared to see what's in store._

She thought of Squall's strangely comforting words before, _"Take your time. Don't rush. We have all the time in the world."_

_He didn't say "you" had all the time in the world, just that "we" did. And why were his words comforting? He's just annoying._

Nevertheless, it worked. Her eyes opened as soon as her thoughts were about Squall. She still saw black, for the lights in the room weren't on. She searched to the left and then to the right with her fidgeting hand. Yes, she found the switch.

Light instantly filled every nook and cranny of the room, like the way the sea instantly and completely fills every child-made hole on the beach with its body.

She found that the room was filled her old toys, pictures, posters, and the basic teenage paraphernalia that would make parents cringe. Yet she found the journal she got for her sixteenth birthday on the desk. Hesitantly, she picked it up and read.

"_Dear Journal,_

_It's been two months since I have moved into Balamb. I really don't miss Deling City because I didn't really get along with the people there. I've met some interesting people here in Balamb. _

_Selphie is very intriguing. She must contain all the optimism, joy, and laughter in the whole entire world. She has this small figure. She's even shorter than me! I swear her eyes are glowing with ecstasy every time I see her. Her aura is just simply amazing. _

_However, I have encountered a big meanie at Balamb High. His name is Seifer, and he was desperately asking me out. He even hugged me! He tried to kiss me, but then Squall appeared._

_What can I say about Squall? Squall is simply Squall. He has the average height. Brown hair that parts in the middle and it's somewhat long. Bangs cover his face. His eyes are simply astonishing. They have this stormy blue gleam on them. Squall has this scar on his forehead though. I wonder how he got it…? Anyways, I think Squall is a loner. He doesn't have friends, or I haven't seen his friends. He reacts coldly to most of his fellow classmates, but mostly just ignores them. The glare he gives can break glass. I sort of feel sorry for him. _

_Overall, life in Balamb is nice. I can get used to living here. The air is great, and it's a bit better than living in pollution."_

"Who the heck is Selphie?" she asked herself, "must be some friend since I forgot her so easily."

But more importantly, Squall's name was mentioned there. Apparently, this Seifer character had tried to force himself on her. Then Squally came to the rescue. She didn't remember this, nor did any new memories trigger. These journal entries asserted a lot, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it all. She still did not want to be bound by the past.

But this Squall...he played to the role of hero and possibly played it pretty well. He was also supposedly a loner, but she couldn't believe that. There was no way that bumbling idiot was a loner before.

She read another entry.

"_Dear Journal,_

_Here I am again writing about Squall. These jocks came over to Squall's table and started making fun of him. They were actually pretty loud, so I basically heard the whole thing. It's ironic because I swore they were jealous of him. Well, I saw Squall and when I looked at his eyes, they looked very cold. I could sense the anger within him. He was practically ignoring the assault that was being placed on him. It's like they weren't worth it. In fact, they really **weren't** worth it. However, I couldn't take all the verbal abuse myself, so I stopped it. I threatened them by reporting their misbehavior while in fact… I didn't even know if you can get in trouble for mere uh…bullying? It's just… Squall seems so alone and when it was over, he sat there lost in his thoughts again. One of these days, he might blow up, and someone needs to be there for him. I told him that I cared for him and that I could be that person. He seemed even shyer after that. The jocks were even talking about his mother, and how she died and such! Unbelievable. Well, I hope I can help Squall and open him up. It's not that I think he's a charity case or something, but I want him to enjoy something that I think he missed out on. I want him to be happy."_

Who was this character? Where had Rinoa gone? When had she ever cared about someone like this? It couldn't just have been someone. It must have really been love. Yeah right.

She sat quietly, hoping the grandiose voice would appear her head. She sat for a disappointing five minutes before quitting.

She threw the journal back onto the desk, well _her _desk. Now it was _her _room. She jumped onto her bed and fell immediately to sleep.

--- 

The last day approached. Rinoa woke up, and the first thing that popped into her mind was to call Squall. She didn't know why, but she just felt the urge to talk to him. Yes, she knew that she appeared to be like a bipolar, stretching from one extreme to the other, but that's because she _really_ was one. Tough times bring the worst out of a person.

She ran downstairs like it was a normal thing to do, even though she slept in her bed for the first time.

She reached the refrigerator with the post-it note hugging the part where Squall's picture was. There was the number she needed to dial.

"Hello?" came a voice. It didn't sound like Squall. The voice was extremely feminine.

"Hi this is Rinoa, is Squall there?"

"Oh, Rinoa!" the voice exclaimed. "If you don't remember, this is Ellone."

"Oh right, you're Squall's sister."

"Precisely, and the thing is, he ran away." his sister said with a voice straighter than the arrow that pierced her heart. Abandonment?

Memory struck her once more. His voice rang in her head with the concentration of cymbals.

_"I'll show you that I love you, Rinoa Heartilly, just watch me. You lit the path, now I shall run it."_

Oh Hyne! She had told him not to call her. Now what had she done?

--- 

**Author's Notes: **

Yeah, I know, this chapter sucked. I'm getting kind of depressed now with this story since it seems so hard to finish up nowadays. Even though I added this filler-upper, please review after you read it. I'm getting disappointed and distressed. I really don't own you. I'm pwnt/10.

**Rinoaheartillyizawesome,** Yeah, it's the open-up process all over again. I plan for a happy ending, but we shall see.

**Lady-Rinoa14,** I guess that's how good stories are made... from ideas. Unfortunately, I think I got this idea from somewhere else. I also wasn't suggesting that my story was good in anyway, just that good stories are made from good, awesome, wonderful ideas. Nevertheless, I understand how you feel and that's okay. I sometimes find it that I don't have time either to read stories. Keep up with your work, and I'll try to read your stories more. Sorry sis.

**heartillyangel,** Don't worry about the reviews for the other chapters. Don't worry about no reading for awhile either. It's cool. I'm glad that you're actually still reading my story. Yeah, I screwed over with Squall's character in this story from the beginning. However, I'm glad that I started this story because I've learned a lot about characterization. Yeah, I'm ranting about myself (I'm such a narcissist). Seriously, thanks though. I haven't finished reading your story either, sadly enough. When time ensues, I shall.

**Azndreamer45,** Yeah, I named it "Rape" precisely to throw people off. Neverthless, I get a kick out of things like this. Me and my stupid way of seeing things. Thanks for reading and reviewing this story. I'm overjoyed (seriously!) to have readers decide to waste their time with my story.

**Cerulean Crystal,** I'm so glad and happy and joyful and every single adjective that is synonymous with a positive connotation to have you faithfully reading and reviewing my stories. Your reviews along with the others inspire me to continue to write on, even though I don't feel like it. I am personally enthralled to see your name for a review. My goodness, thank you. And please continue.

**Luis,** Once more you read and review. Thanks. Yeah, thanks for noticing that switching emotions thing. Now that I think about it, it is kind of cool. I hope you continue on to read my poor story. Thanks.

**Dramatic-Maniac,** Sorry for not updating sooner. Yeah, they're coming back together... I guess. Of course with my selfish point of view, please review and make my frowny upside down. Thanks for reviewing the countless times I posted new chapters. Thanks for encouraging. Thanks for being dramatic (I don't know, I have to post this appreciation drabble somehow). Just kidding. I love you like I love TV.

**Man,** Once more, it's truly an honor to have a review from you, my man. Yeah, let's forget the egostroke thing. I'm glad you noticed the whole "Rape" title of my last chapter. Yeah, I'm smiling like this right now :D. Thanks though for reviewing my poorly-constructed story. I hope to have you read my other stories in the future. See ya later Man.

**tw3akedd0wn,** I'm so glad that you started to read my story. Thanks for your input man. I'm glad to get that constructive criticism from you. Perhaps we'll continue to pull each other up in our writing, perfecting it someday. Perhaps not. Perfecting would be like Joseph Heller. Whatever the author of Catch-22 is. But still, thanks man. You seriously roxxors j00 boxxors.

**Jayliyah85,** Thanks for reviewing first. Sadly, you're the last name on the list. Nevertheless, I'll have your name imprinted with nice goodies. Thanks alot for encouraging me as well. Hopefully this chapter made you smile as well, but I really don't think it did. :D Yet, it will turn out on a good note, trust me.


	20. The World

Light Unto My Path

By: Ayato Kamina

Chapter 20: The World

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Final Fantasy VIII, nor do I own the characters of Final Fantasy IX or Final Fantasy X. Yes, for this chapter, I am using other characters from different Final Fantasies. I didn't mean to crossover, but it happened, so deal with it. Sue me.

---

All he remembered were the roads he just finished. He trekked across the whole Balamb island, and now needed proof that he did. He peered at the current road ahead of him. There were various like it, but only this one led to Balamb Harbor, the beaches with sands whiter than bright clouds.

It had been a few days since he last talked to Rinoa, but that fated day would replay in his mind forever. Never would he see her again until he finished what he promised. He would give her time, all the time it took for Squall to run the entire world.

He was clutching a jar in his hand, making sure to never let go. If this jar broke, he would have to find another one. Finding another jar was the last thing on Squall Leonhart's mind. He grasped it with the sheer passion a mother had when she holds onto her baby. The jar was bare, containing only the emptiness that air provided. Soon it would be full, bearing witness to all the lands that Squall had run. His epic love would not only stir Rinoa, but surely, he would win her heart.

He was sincerely hoping that Rinoa did not misunderstand his cryptic proclamation that ran along the lines of lighting some path and running it. He had no idea what he said; it just came out of him. He even forgot all the intricate details of their conversation beforehand. All he felt was a prompting upon his heart to give Rinoa some time and to show her how much he loved her.

The whole world needed to know who Rinoa Heartilly was; he was the messenger.

He didn't care that no one had traveled the entire world before. He would be the first to do it. Even though it had been centuries since Centra was inhabited, he would get there somehow. Esthar was a shrouded mystery, but he would unfold the veils that covered it. Trabia was simply freezing, but he would endure it. This quest was the only thing that mattered now. This quest would win her heart.

His blood pumped scintillating adrenaline that gave his legs energy to move faster and faster. He could hear his breathing, a sound that vaguely reminded him of the wind. Squall looked to his side to find his faint companion trailing him. He saw how his companion was matching every single step that he took. Squall peered at his comrade's hair surfing wildly across the waves of the wind.

Squall and his shadow had been best friends ever since he picked up his first pair of running shoes. He smiled at the visible outline of himself.

He continued to pump his legs in meticulous fashion, never noting how tired he was becoming. The pain and weariness that resulted from running was always a good thing. Running was just like life, there were long hills to master, flying touches after the long hills, and those annoying obstructions on the path that he had to avoid. Sometimes running was filled with monotony as Squall ran along a straight road, not turning to the left or right for miles and miles. Sometimes, Squall noticed roads so crooked that he was reminded of how many turns his life took.

The road he was currently running had the perfect complacency to it. The breeze gently tickled his forehead, the way that he liked it. The asphalt was not too hard which gave his poor legs some rest. He was in no hurry, the harbor wasn't going anywhere.

With running, he did not have to talk to a single soul. He loved the solitude of it, not having to answer to anyone but himself. He would be caught in his thoughts for hours, but they would translate to seconds.

This was the instance here. Without even noticing, he approached the harbor. It felt like he had just run a couple of miles, but now that he thought about it, the distance was much longer.

The marina with its distinct white sands juxtaposed quite well with the azure, feathery sky. The beach wanted to give Squall a present, the first series of presents he needed.

He left the road to enter the sandy dunes. Realizing that he had already run a marathon's worth, he waited for his breath to catch up. Hopefully it would return to him soon.

It never did. The breath was so far back that Squall decided to stop waiting and proceed with his first step towards bringing Rinoa back. He crouched down, first noticing how sore his legs still were. He ignored the pain as he slid his relaxed fingers through the clear sands. He grabbed a handful and placed it in the jar carefully. He smiled like a kid eating candy for the first time.

"What are you doing there lad, stealing my sand?"

His smile disappeared. Squall turned around to see an old man with a fierce physique. The old man seemed as weathered as the sea itself with wrinkles sketched on his face.

"...I don't see your name on it." said Squall wryly.

The man responded by pointing towards a shack. The shack had a well-placed sign that read, "Private Property of Ward Zabac."

Squall answered by dumping all the sand back to this Ward's respective property. He took a few steps away from the shack and poured sand in his jar again.

"You can't do that." yelled Ward from a few feet away. "That's my property too."

Squall responded by pointing towards another sign that read, "Private Property of Ward Zabac." However, this sign was the product of vandalism, and it had various stray markings that coated it like messy makeup.

"Some kids did that," he said aloud. "It's still my property!" His resolve was unwavering like the tides.

"I'm getting proof that I ran all around the world," said Squall, ignoring the onslaught of warnings. "I'm putting all the dirt, sand, or whatever in here." He lifted the jar up to show his point. "If you have a problem, I can find another place."

"You really think you can do it kid?" he asked. Why was he asking so many questions?

"Does your opinion matter?" Squall answered cryptically.

"No, but yours does," Ward asked intently. "Kid if you really think you can run the whole world, you're crazy."

"I probably can't, but I can at least try."

"Why are you doing it anyways? Is it because of some girl?"

Squall was flabbergasted, but none of it was witnessed by Ward. How did Ward figure out though? It was probably just a lucky guess.

"Yes, it's because of _some girl_."

"So you're traveling the world for her?"

"No."

"Then what?"

"I'm _running _the world for her."

Ward scoffed at Squall's play on words. Then he reflected on this profound assertion and replied, "From what I know, you can't run on water. Heck, you couldn't even walk on it. Take the sand though; I hope ya live."

Squall chuckled and walked off to buy a ticket for the Fisherman's Horizon.

"Kid wait!"

Squall turned around to hear what Ward had to say.

"What's your name again?"

"Squall... Squall Leonhart."

He lifted a finger while walking off, presenting his odd way of saying farewell. As he reached the boardwalk, he viewed Balamb for the last time.

The sweeping mountain chains seemed to trail the whole island. The simple blue skies and fluffy clouds reminded Squall of the plethora of days of being lost in imagination. The plains sang with the breeze, along with the flowers serenely dancing. The distant town he was reminded of, all the memories that were born there. With a single glance, he saw it all.

Then he imagined having the entire world in a single jar. That'd be perfect for Rinoa.

---

What did he mean when he said those words?

Rinoa did not understand Squall's puzzling declaration. He was going to show her that he supposedly _loved _her by running away? Running away never solved anything. What was he doing?

Everything about this Squall Leonhart infuriated her. His goofy little smile, the way his eyes lit up, his stupid hair, his scrawny frame, the way he blabbered generalities; she hated them all. He was the worst extrovert she had met in her life. He needed to shut up and recollect his thoughts. Now that Rinoa thought about it, she was glad he ran away!

She hadn't seen him nor heard from him in days. She was enjoying this new silence. No more of his constant bickering, she was overjoyed to be free from him. She hoped to never see him again. She genuinely hoped so.

But why was she thinking of him then? He wasn't worth the time to daydream about. Why were her thoughts continuing to follow Squall? He had given her time; now she needed to use it efficiently.

She really did need the time now since she was back at school. She was currently in her last period, wasting her time on these things. She could not remember any of the concepts that she had learned during the year. Calculus was unbearable; the derivatives laughed at her because she could not find them. She could not understand any of the biological terminology that the instructor preferred to use. She absolutely hated Centran history.

But Rinoa was a hard-worker, stubbornly determined to get her way. She would not fail out of high school. She would get her diploma and proceed to college, no matter what the costs were. When she got home, she would have to study until her brain oozed out.

"Class, remember to prove and solve the Hodge Conjecture for homework. I'll be checking it in the morning."

She heard the class groan in a multitude of pitches.

"Class, you are dismissed."

Immediately, the room was back to life. Students filed out of the classroom faster than a Chocobo running a full sprint. Rinoa remained at her desk, putting her things in her backpack methodically.

"Hey, Rinny!"

Rinoa didn't even have to look, but already knew that only Selphie would call her ridiculous nicknames, besides Squall.

_No more thoughts will be influenced under the paradigm of Squall._

"Hey Seffie," she responded.

Selphie had reintroduced herself a few days ago when Rinoa had first come back to school. Rinoa distinctly recalled that she had read in her journal of a Selphie, but to no avail, she could not remember her.

Selphie was still very much everything her journal had stated- extremely optimistic, cheerful, and sometimes a tad hyper.

"Tee-hee, I'm glad we're on nickname terms." said Selphie jubilantly. She twirled a strand of hair with her finger and asked almost nervously, "you know, the Student Government is holding a Garden Festival since school's almost over, and I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with us... and help."

Rinoa did have a lot of homework to do, but making friends had its own appeal.

"Sure, but I have homework. I guess I'll do it over there."

"YEAH!" beamed Selphie with a triumphant fist in the air, "We're going to PAAH-TAY!"

"Don't forget that I have hom-"

"-Tee-hee! There's a lot of geeks in the Student Government too. I'm sure that we can all help you together." said Selphie. "But then we'll PAAH-TAY!"

Rinoa giggled at the enthusiasm of her friend. Rinoa followed an excited Selphie down the corridors of opportunity.

---

It was an off-day which meant that there was no track practice today. However, the long-distance ran everyday of the week either dependent on Coach Nida's instruction or independently by themselves. Today, they would run together along the beaches of Balamb. 

A group of three ran behind their newly-appointed leader Zell Dincht. They trailed the sands carefully in line, making sure the hierarchy wouldn't be breached. Zack felt his lungs imploding from within. He had already broken his all time high of six miles, he was now trailing his seventh.

"Keep up, Zack," said Zell from up front. His legs were moving in rhythmic fashion. How could he still run for so long with that pace?

He's a senior, and he's been running forever. You've only started this year, that's why. When you run as long as him, you'll probably be better. Maybe one day...

Answering Zell's comment would have required more energy on Zack's part, so he grunted in response. The others giggled at Zack's trouble.

"Spruce, today we're running for fun, if you're getting a workout from this, just run at your own pace." assured Irvine.

The track team had a nickname for everyone almost, well everyone new.

"I'm... f-fine." said Zack with trouble. He tried to control his breathing, to make it sound as calm as the sea next to him. He couldn't, and the whole world could hear the tsunami occurring.

"Dude, we can stretch ova at the shack there, ya?" reassured Wakka. "Looks pretty nice ova there."

"It does, but we already stretched." chirped Zidane.

"Just tryin' to help out young Spruce ova there. Ya don't think we could help him out, ya?"

"Fine," replied Zell, "we'll stop soon at the shack; it's only a couple of meters away." He turned around to take a peek out Zack. "Geez buddy, you don't look too good. We runners need to stick together. We'll take a break, don't worry."

They reached the dilapidated shack with heaves and huffs. Zack was finally glad they stopped. He crouched over, trying to catch his breath.

He wanted water. He wanted it so badly that he swallowed saliva to hopefully soak his parched, salty throat. It didn't work, and now he just wanted water more. He tried to get his mind off his thirst, so he directed his vision towards the ground. The sand looked awfully pretty.

While he was hunched over, he heard a thunderous voice coming from the direction in front of him. It declared stridently, "What are you doing on my property?"

Immediately, all the runners jumped up in fear, completely forgetting everything rational. They didn't even respond, but looked at each other hoping someone else would answer. Finally Zell gained back some sense and replied meekly, "We were running on the beach... sir."

"Well, this is _my _property, and I don't want some kids ruinin' it."

Zack decided to speak up, hoping to clarify. "Sir... we-we're _runners_, and we were just taking a run on the beach. W-We thought it was public p-property." He was still tired, but good thing he had his point across.

"Runners eh?" said the old man with a smirk. "I met a kid just like you kids a few days ago, he said he'd run the whole world."

It was common knowledge that no one had traveled the entire world. This old man was loony. He was probably included in the remnant of the age that indulged in the sleeping powders of the exotic Grats. That would explain why he lived in a shack on the beach.

"Gramps, stop pulling our tails, no one can run the whole world," said Zidane with his tone of vivacity.

The old man glared at him. Zidane immediately shut up, beckoning the old man to finish his phony tale.

"I believed that young man, there was just something about those eyes. I believe it, ya hear?"

Those loonies were addicted to features like eyes too.

"Sir, no one has run the entire world before," intoned Zell with his facts. "The uncharted lands of Esthar have never been witnessed by even Galbadian explorers. They don't even send _planes _there. Now it's kinda hard to believe that a kid's just going to run there."

"Yeah," mocked Irvine subtly, "do you know his name?"

The old man directed his view towards the sea. He majestically did not respond for a few moments. Perhaps he was fabricating a name, but due to his previous days of overdosing, he would have to take longer.

He turned back around and smiled, "I remember... that kid... that kid's name was Squall Leonhart, and I still believe he'll do it even though the facts don't line up."

---

**Author's Notes: **

I'm sorry for not updating recently. College life has me hard. I'm so glad that you guys reviewed this story, even though it's poorly written from the beginning. I'm sorry for crossing over with the other characters, but they were the runners from Chapter 2 (which was bad planning on my part, back in the day). Thanks once more for reviewing earlier, and I encourage you to review once more. Thanks, reviews inspire me to write more.

**rinnyheartillyizawesome,** Don't worry, she'll be happy soon enough. Thanks for reviewing.

**khknight,** Na, don't be bound by institutions like high school for your fics. Be original.

**Rezelle,** You probably won't see this since you haven't read Chapter 19, but I thank you for your encourgements.

**jackie,** I don't know if you'll read this again, but here's the chapter you wanted. I'll make more when the time comes.

**Stormrider,** A year ago was when she was rash about moving. She didn't want to move to Balamb, but a few months later, her dilemmas were solved. An exact year ago was when she was close to her friends in Deling City. Then she had to move away. Being bound by obligations infuriates Rinoa. Being bound by the past infuriates her as well.

**tw3akedd0wn,** Don't worry, it's going to be a long time before Rinoa loves Squall again. Hopefully this story won't eat me alive.

**SavannahX,** It will be a happy ending. He ran away, but not for the typical reasons.

**Dramatic-Maniac,** I enjoy long reviews that drag on. They keep me entertained. Continue to write them, for the help me in making me a better writer. I'm in that process, and I need help from people like you. Thanks.

**Luis,** Don't worry Luis, she'll see that. She'll definitely see that.

**Rinoa2005,** Thanks for encouraging me. I was being emo then I guess. I still feel bad about my writing though. :

**Cerulean Crystal,** I updated even though it took so long. I'm sorry that I took so much time. In the future, I'll try to update more.

**Man,** Haha, nice analysis, but Squall ends up running elsewhere. I've read your story...hurry and update it!

**Jayliyah85,** He's gone for good reasons. She'll catch up more to her past later. Hurry and write a new fic!

**rinoa1565,** I didn't quit, but I guess it seemed like I did. Here is though, and I'll try to update soon.


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